Facing Sudden Resignation Requests: How Can Employees Protect Themselves?

Dear All,

There are situations when certain employees are asked to leave and threatened that if they do not resign, then they will be terminated. I would love to get your suggestions on what the employees can do to defend themselves.

Thank you.

Handling Sudden Job Termination

It is a very difficult situation. An employee can take legal action, but that is time-consuming. They can go to the labor officer of the area (if they are a worker) and complain, and seek union support as well.

When suddenly asked to leave, the best an employee can do is to politely try and find out the reasons. If an employee is careful and alert, they can pick up signs that they are on a hit list. Subtle signs are always there, which many times do not get noticed (depending on the seniority of position or appointment).

The best way is if you start sensing any such signal, then start looking around for other options in a discreet manner.

This is in addition to what Mr. Nathrao has said. What is the nature of your industry? What type of work do employees handle? In which city is your company located?

Before seeking help from the Labour Officer (LO), it is important to gather evidence of the threat. Therefore, all employees should come together and decide that if anyone receives a threat, he/she needs to record the conversation between the authority and that employee. This type of sting operation is necessary to generate evidence.

Even before conducting the sting operation, please find out where the labor office is located for your company's area. When a threat arises, you should be able to seek help from the LO promptly.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

I guess the employer is only verbally threatening you to resign/leave; otherwise, you will face termination. Since he has not yet terminated the service, try to gather as much documentary evidence as possible so that you can use it later.

Once terminated, you can approach the appropriate authority for legal remedies, which can be time-consuming as well as costly. So, think before you decide and if possible consult a labor advocate in this regard.

Please check my blog at www.labourlawhub.com

There may be reasons that such a situation arises. Threatening to resign is not a valid reason. Threatening means somebody forcefully trying to leave. As long as your appointment is legal, you can fight for your rights. As others indicated, you must look out for evidence and signs being used against you. Seek legal advice and take action.