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SONALI AND HER OUTDATED VALUES IN THIS MODERN WORLD!!!

Feb 4 2008 | Views 309 | Comments (14)

“Sonali, please logout of your system and go to the HR department.” the voice of her tea... Expand

“Sonali, please logout of your system and go to the HR department.” the voice of her team leader Prakash surprised her.

“But Prakash, I still have more than an hour to go before the logout. I have to make some more calls to achieve my daily target.” She said to him.

“Don’t worry about the calls Sonali. Just go there immediately. The HRM is waiting for you.” He said coldly.

Unwillingly and surprised, she logged out and walked towards the HR department located in another building. She was not sure why they would like to meet her in the middle of her shift? Infact, HR issues were taken care of by the Team Leaders on the operations floor itself. Whenever an employee was summoned to the HR department, it only meant that something was wrong or someone was getting promoted. The thought of promotion made her a little happier because she had done well the previous month and a hike was not impossible.

“Hi Sonali, please come in” Radhika said politely. Radhika was the HR Manager of the company where Sonali worked.

“Please have a seat, Sonali” she said gesturing towards a chair across the table.

“Thank you Ma’m.” Sonali said as she nervously sat on the chair.

“How are you Sonali?” Radhika spoke as she seemed to be forming the sentence in her mind.

“I am fine. Prakash told me that you wanted to meet me immediately.” Sonali said.

“Oh yes, please don’t take me wrongly Sonali. Sometimes, company policies make us do things which we don’t want.” Radhika said.

“I did not understand that.” Sonali said as her heartbeat grew louder.

“Ok, let me put it simply. The company has decided to downsize your process by 50% and you are one of the employees who are getting the pink slip. We value your significant contribution to the growth and success of the process but its necessary to maintain the profitability and viability of the process….” Sonali could hardly hear whatever Radhika said. The entire cabin seemed to be spinning around and she did not even realize when Radhika stopped speaking and walked over to her side.

“Are you alright Sonali?” she shook Sonali by the shoulder.

“Yeah, I am fine but why me? I was doing well and achieved my targets even the last month.” She asked Radhika.

“Sonali, its not only about your achieving the numbers but the manner in which you do your job matters a lot more. We have been constantly getting negative reports in terms of your quality datas and regarding your team spirit and lack of interaction with the entire team.” Radhika said.

Sonali understood the reason for his sudden ouster immediately. An incident that took place a month ago came to her mind.

“Sonali, would you like to go out for a disc session tonight?” her Team Leader Prakash had asked her.

“No Prakash, I am not into all this late night disco parties and all such things. I am sorry but I cannot come.” She refused.

“You are a loner. I wonder what a person like you is doing in my team?” Prakash said snappily.

It was not the first time that she has spurned off Prakash’s advances and his attempts to be friendly on the sly. However, as she realized now that this time Prakash had caused a real damage to her.

She felt a rush of blood and her ears seemed to have warmed up.

“Here is the exit interview questionnaire and your resignation letter. Please fill the questionnaire and sign the letter. Your Full and Final Settlement details will be provided to you over the phone in two week’s time.” Radhika said as she put a questionnaire and the resignation letter in front of Sonali. (No matter whether the company decides to chuck you or you leave the job out of your own free will, you have to submit a resignation letter because NO ONE RESIGNS IN A CALL CENTER.)

Sonali scribbled through the questionnaire and signed the resignation letter.

“May I go to the operations floor to get my bag and to say bye to my friend Preeti?” she asked Radhika.

“No, I am so sorry Sonali. As a company policy, you are not an employee anymore and non-employees don’t have access to the operations floor. Please hand over your access card to me now and I will arrange for someone to fetch your belongings. You can wait in the open area in the meanwhile.” Radhika said apologetically.

Sonali could hardly believe it, this company had been her workplace for such a long time and in a matter of few minutes she had become an unwanted outsider who was not even allowed in the premises.

“Thank you Ma’m” Sonali said and hurried out of the cabin and the building.

The night was cold and windy. She was standing alone and stared at the glassy façade of the operations building of ‘Expert Call Solutions’ the call center where she had started her career two years back. She had put in her soul in working there for the last two years and in a span of just ten minutes, she was shunted out and not even permitted to go to her workstation for one last time. Her experience of the last two years, all the changes in her life seemed to run in front of her eyes in the form of a motion picture of sorts.

She used to be a nervous and clumsy girl when she first joined the company. Initially, she was overwhelmed by the buzz, the swank buildings and the smartly dressed and happening youngsters working in their cubicles. She had always been a simpleton and the changes seemed to be drastic to her. It was only thanks to Preeti and Shyam that she found herself staying on and accepting the changes. They were experienced and they always helped her when she found it difficult to work on the interface and to understand the American accent. They helped her familiarize with the extremely competitive and demanding environs of an international call center. In the beginning, she used to cry whenever some American customer abused her or tried to indulge in obscene talk. She felt so many times that she should leave the disrespecting job but slowly under the guidance of Preeti and Shyam, she got control over her emotions and started doing well at her work. The thoughts of having spent hundreds of dinner time breaks with them at the office cafeterias and sharing each and every up and down of her career with those two friends made her nostalgic.

She remembered how Shyam would sometime place a pack of Kurkure or Lays on the top of her CPU underneath her workstation and ask her to eat it quickly without being noticed. She remembered how she used to eat the burgers which he got as his quota of snacks and he always felt happy to do all that for her. He always used to bring coffee or water for her whenever he went out while she was logged in. He always used to tell her that she looked extremely beautiful even when nobody else said the same with such a regularity.

Things became boring and unbearable after Shyam left the company over a month ago when he had a row with Prakash, their new Team Leader. She also wanted to leave that time but Shyam advised her to stay back and concentrate on her career. She had tried her best and now all of it was wasted because she refused to entertain the Team Leader’s advances. She could not tolerate it anymore and broke down. Tears warmed her cheeks and her collar was also soggy after a while due to the continuous flow of tears. Suddenly she heard someone calling her name. She saw that her entire team was standing there and Prakash had called her name. She also noticed that the open area was now full of employees waiting to board their cabs.

“I told you many times that you would regret not mixing up with the team.” Prakash whispered sarcastically as he came close to her.

“I regret not having done this then and there.” She said as the sound of a hard slap reverberated in the air and everyone looked at Prakash who was stunned.

“What the hell is this?” he blurted out

“Don’t you dare to raise your voice, you bastard!! I am not your team member anymore and I can ruin your career in a second if I call the police and explain about the harassment.” She shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

Preeti ran forward and asked her to calm down. She hugged her and cried inconsolably.

“Don’t worry Sonali, you have got knowledge and good experience and you can get a better offer any time. Its good that you have left this crap job and I will resign soon too.” Preeti comforted her.

On the way home, she called up Shyam and told him the entire incident.

“Don’t worry Shona (he always called her Shona). You did nothing wrong and it was really great that you paid that bastard back. Everything will be alright and you will get a good job soon.” He said to her assuringly.

Life seemed to be quite a lot difficult to her over the next few days. She gave several interviews but somehow did not get the desired good offer anywhere. She also started feeling the pinch because she was an important earning member of her family and her being jobless started affecting her family negatively. She started having self doubts and realized that her not getting a job was probably due to her simpleton looks and discouraging every unfair advances by the wolves of men who took the interviews. She was not the snazzy, glitzy and happening babe which makes a man’s mouth water. She started feeling depressed and even wondered whether she did something wrong by rejecting Prakash’s advances and believing in her values.

“Is becoming an attractive toy the only way to succeed? Why is it that hardwork, talent and honesty don’t matter in achieving success?” she doubted.

“No Shona, all those who use such short cuts for success and happiness are those who get only short term success and happiness. You might have survived the downsizing this time by compromising with Prakash but the moment he had got fed up with you, he would have chucked you out. At such a time, your loss would have been huge and irreparable and you could never have been yourself ever again.” Shyam told her.

“But Shyam, what should I do now? I need money as I have to take care of a lot of responsibilities regarding myself and my family. I am not getting any good offers.” She said in a disappointed voice.

“Would you really accept my advice if I ask you to do something?” he said to her.

“Yes Shyam, I respect and trust you more than anyone else. Tell me what should I do?” she asked him.

“Start believing in yourself and your capabilities, concentrate on completing your MBA and marry me, though not in that order necessarily.” He smiled as he said this.

Sonali did not know what to say and after a few seconds she just nodded in approval. She knew that in her heart, she already loved him madly and Shyam was indeed her true soulmate. He had comforted and guided her a lot in her stint at that call center. It was only due to him that she was a better and confident person now. Her heart said that all will be well very soon.

They got married a few weeks later in a traditional ceremony and Shyam got her a job as a faculty in a local institute. She studied her MBA and worked alongside to support her family. Shyam always encouraged her to be a free bird and supported her completely in fulfilling her dreams.

After two and a half years, she joined as HR Manager at ‘Expert Call Solutions’ the company where she was fired from. Soon a Team Leader Prakash was fired from the company on complaints of sexual harassment filed by many female employees.

“I must tell you all that the short cuts to success are easy and the long route of hardwork and honesty is really backbreaking but if you want to feel happy all your life and you are willing to bear some hardships for achieving everlasting success, then you all should take the longer path.” She addressed a gathering of students as she attended a function organized by the IIM Ahmedabad to felicitate her on achieving the ‘CEO of the year 2008’ award; a few years after she had joined back at ‘Expert Call Solutions.’

Sulekha.com

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SONALI AND HER OUTDATED VALUES IN THIS MODERN WORLD!!!

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