Facing Unfair Treatment After Resignation: How Can I Respond to Legal Threats and Bonus Demands?

Hello everyone,

I was working in a legacy company where my manager harassed me. I complained, but I didn't receive a fair investigation, and HR forced me to resign. Now, they are demanding that I pay a certain amount for a contract signing bonus. Furthermore, they are refusing to issue my relieving letter.

They informed me that I am a non-performer and had not done any work in the past 9 months. They blackmailed me by threatening termination, leading to my resignation. Unfortunately, I don't have any proof of these incidents. They are now asking for a recovery amount and have sent emails stating they will take legal action against me.

When I raised these issues with the HR department of that organization, they did not respond to me. I am seeking your assistance in drafting a reply. Your prompt response would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, it is very unfortunate you were forced to resign, and the employer is pursuing recovery.

Before submitting your resignation, you should have asked this question. Now that you have submitted your resignation, your employer will present it as if you did so voluntarily and will honor the separation terms. If you had signed any training agreement or bond, then the employer has some scope to initiate legal action. In the absence of a training agreement or bond, the employer will only threaten you but cannot go beyond a certain limit as it would be a time-consuming process. You may choose to ignore the emails, but please note that they will close your file as a termination case and may provide negative feedback during background verification in the future. So, look for an amicable solution.