Employees Terminated After Resignation; Company Demands Three-Month Salary for Experience Letter

The project manager, on Reddit, shared their distressing experience on the platform, seeking advice and assistance in securing a new job in Chennai. According to the post, the Redditor,  Randy had been under intense pressure at work, which, combined with declining health, prompted them to resign. Diagnosed with fatty liver and suffering from chickenpox, they requested medical leave, which was denied. Instead, they were pressured to work from home, despite their illness.

After a series of health setbacks, including an accident that injured their hand, Randy submitted another resignation request, emphasizing their urgent need for an early release. The company rejected the resignation once again, showing no empathy for the employee’s medical condition. A day later, the company escalated the situation by terminating Randy’s employment, threatening to falsely report that they had left improperly during BGV checks.

To make matters worse, the company demanded three months’ salary in exchange for an experience certificate, critical for the project manager’s future employment prospects. Randy, who has four years of experience as a project manager, holds documents including an offer letter, payslips, increment letter and the termination email. Turning to Reddit, they sought advice on navigating this difficult situation, asking, “Will these documents help me secure another job? How can I explain this situation to HR?”

Many said that that the Indian company, whose name is not revealed, is “harassing” them and suggested consulting a good lawyer. Some even suggested to file a complaint with the Ministry of Labour.

One individual said, “Walk in with chickenpox to the CEOs cabin and be escorted out with whatever your demand is,” and many replied to this with “this is the way”.

“Have you lost access to your work system and email already? If not, please save any email/comms related to your performance at the firm, leave applications and their response/denials, resignation/termination etc,” another suggested.

An individual wrote, “Since you worked only for 8 months, you can decide not to show this experience in the next job. So, no need of experience letter. Don’t pay anything.”

The post has garnered attention and sympathy from the online community, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by employees in dealing with unethical practices by employers.