Some weeks ago, we asked Get Ahead readers to send us their layoff tales. We still get a lot of mail from employees belonging to different sectors of the Indian economy, indicating how difficult the employment scenario is out there.
In the 41st part of this series, young defence sector employee Priya Munshi* writes about how she was burdened with more work than she could handle just before she was sacked.
Name: Priya Munshi (*name changed on request)
Company/Sector: Defence, R&D
Work Experience: 4 years
Background:
I have work experience of four years and in these years I have gone through several ups and downs.
I was in Dubai when recession hit sometime in late 2008. I knew things will quickly get messy there and decided to move to India last November after working for more than 45 months in Dubai. By December I got a job in one of India's most respectable and promising firm with a respectable pay packet. However, this was 30 per cent less than what I earned in Dubai.
How I lost my job:
I joined as the secretary to the CEO of this company. I handled every kind of work in office; for me it was never 'I can't do this, I can't do that'. As the company had recently entered the defense sector no one knew where the company was heading.
As we were expanding slowly we didn't have a dedicated accounts officer so I also handled accounts (though it was not my field of expertise). Till December I was reporting to the CEO but in January all the company accounts were given to me and I started reporting to the company's finance manager as well. This increased my workload tremendously and I found it difficult to cope with the added responsibility.
By the end of January my company started having problems as recession deepened and they started firing employees. I was tagged as inefficient and finally, I was given the sack in early February.
How I am coping:
Thankfully, I do not owe money to any bank. I wanted to take an education loan to study MBA in Dubai but fortunately I decided against it.
However, I have dependant parents who are quite old and need medical attention every three months. I had saved a neat amount when I was working and I am somehow coping with their medical expenses.
Lesson learnt:
- Always perform one level lower than what you think you can do
- Don't ever try too hard to impress your boss with your performance. If they have to sack you, they will, irrespective of your performance
- Companies tend to forget that it is employees who make them successful and not the people who sit and eat earn big pay packets
- Never ever consider yourself inefficient because at the end of the day no one is a master of all. Everyone learns more on the job
Do you have a layoff tale to tell?
Have you lost your job? Do you know someone who has lost her/his job recently and is trying to come to terms with the situation?
If you, your friends or relatives have a layoff story to tell, to inform readers about the lessons that you have learnt, please write to us at getahead@rediff.co.in with th subject as 'The Layoff Tales'. Your name and identity will not be disclosed unless you want it to.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
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