M Saraswathy
September 21, 2019 / 09:30 IST
Varun Jajodia was ignored for the third time in-a-row in his company's promotion cycle in 2019. Despite having worked for 10 years at a Mumbai-based financial services major, neither was his contribution acknowledged nor was he given a good appraisal.
Thirty-five-year-old Jajodia is among several other professionals who do not know when exactly to quit a job. After every appraisal cycle, those not been granted a decent salary hike are in a dilemma of what is the next best step.
But human resource experts have a clear line drawn on when to hold on to a job and when to let go. At the base of it is a fact: Never stay in a company where you are not respected.
Take Jajodia's case for instance. He was part of a team that brought in a new technology-based offering to the Indian market. But his efforts were not recognised and his name was barely mentioned at any of the conferences where this product was mentioned.
Point number one. If you are being consistently ignored for a promotion when it is due, this could be a time to look at a job switch. While everyone would expect a promotion every year, once in two years is a reasonable period provided he/she has exceeded the expected targets.
Exceptional situations aside, companies value good talent and would take efforts to retain them in the form of good pay hikes and career progression measures.
Secondly, another measure or trigger that could indicate a need for a job switch is a leadership deficit. An individual could be a good human but that does not necessarily mean he/she is a suitable leader. Not standing for the employee or constantly discouraging them from standing up to office bullies is a reason to worry.
Even if the superior does not get involved in office politics, allowing one person to take advantage of another colleague is equally detrimental to morale.
Thirdly, being excluded from major projects at the workplace is a good indicator that one is being ignored at the office and he/she is no longer considered trust-worthy.
If moving ahead in the professional world is a priority, it is imperative that employees being shunted out of projects look for alternative job opportunities.
Corporates also use subtle tactics to make the employees feel like a piece of furniture at the workplace. This could be a part of a larger cost-cutting exercise in scenarios when the HR officers do not directly fire the employee.
These tactics include excluding the particular employee from important work e-mails, transfers to remote locations or even asking them to 'work from home'. This is a version of 'we don't need your services'.
While the economy is going through sentiments of a slowdown and finding a job would be a tough task, employees facing a similar situation should start looking for alternate opportunities whenever two or more of the above instances occur. It may be difficult and time-consuming, but not impossible to find a job for the candidate with the right skills.
The message here is clear: 'Quit that job. Nothing is more important than your self-respect'.
