rediffGURU Abhishek Shah advises you on how to deal with challenges at work.
Are you working with a difficult boss or a manager at work?
Have you recently been fired from your job?
Do you need advice on issues you may be facing within your organisation that are affecting your personal and professional life?
rediffGURU Abhishek Shah is the founder of Testlify, a talent assessment platform.
He has over 10 years of experience in helping create sustainable thriving businesses, leveraging technology, and mentoring people.
Anonymous: I joined one private limited company as a manager.
The company didn't issue me an appointment letter. After one month, the brother of the director removed me without citing any reason.
He is not in any position, just the brother of the director.
The other director lady was present at that moment. She agreed verbally. The company didn't give me a relieving letter.
Two months before I was terminated verbally. Since then the company has not given me a salary till date. No phone pickup, no reply to WhatsApp messages.
I told them that I would approach the labour officer. The brother replied, do whatever you can. My salary was decided at Rs 1 lakh per month.
I’d suggest you move on in life as I don’t see an intent for them to pay and you do not have sufficient documentation in place.
This is a lesson for life.
In the future, ensure necessary documentation is in place.
Focus on finding a new job (if you still don’t have one). That would be better for the long term for you and your family.
Anonymous: Hi. I am working in an Indian company and was heading the department, but due to some management changes they brought in a new person from outside who is now heading the department, practically he has replaced me, but the company is not removing me and asking to do what I was doing earlier.
They now want me to explore new avenues for the company.
I told management that I wanted to quit, but they did not want me to leave... What should I do?
I am trying but not getting good offers from the industry.
It is humiliation but the new incumbent practically doesn't know anything about our business. It is purely a technical field. In this situation, what should I do?
I’d take this as an opportunity to explore new areas in the business and take on different responsibilities within the company, challenge myself to develop new skills and learn to grow.
Also, I’d support the new person to the best of my ability in his/her new role.
I’d see it not a humiliation but a God-sent opportunity to develop myself.
Amit: I recently had my Microdisctomy for L5-S1 Disc and the doctor has recommended avoiding travel by bus and stairs.
As my current job has traveling 1.5 hours to the office and returning 1.5 hours on a bus, I requested my employer to allow me to work from home.
Now after 2 months of working from home, my employer is not allowing work from home. Nor they are thinking of transferring to another location. Please suggest what should I do.
Amit, first of all, wishing you a speedy recovery.
I’d first ask the employer what could have been improved while you were working from home for the two months and what key challenges they ran into.
Based on this feedback, ask them to allow extending for another four to six weeks to monitor the improvements.
If they don’t seem to agree, present the written advice from the doctor to the management and HR with your request and assure them you will work hard to ensure work from home is a seamless experience for them.
Demonstrate that you are open to taking on additional responsibilities for the time saved in the commute.
If they still don’t seem to agree at all, start looking out for opportunities that provides work from home.
Until you land a job, temporarily take a residence nearby to your office location to reduce travel time and protect your health.
Navigate this carefully with empathy with your family members.
I’d hesitate to resign immediately unless I have savings to run the family for the next 24 to 36 months.
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