Unfair treatment by Manager in IT Product organization

Question

► I have been working in IT industry for over 20+ years in multiple companies in India and US. Have joined a IT Product company in May 2024 based in Hyderabd for over 2+ years. Have been working in multiple projects and successfully delivered them too. Have mentored junior folks too based on leadership ASK. Have been appreciated by different stakeholders for my contribution and provided rewards too for my work. My recent manager, who joined 4 months back has been targeting me unfairly mentioning that my work is not efficient and all the stakeholders are not happy with me. He is not providing any concrete evidence of the same but mentioning silly points like 'not attentive to trainings', 'not attending business meetings', etc. On top of that, he has put me in Performance Improvement Plan(PIP) for a period of 4 weeks, which ultimately is intended to terminate my employment. He has humiliated me in front of other people and also harassed me personally by demeaning my previous experience. HR team of my company are also aligning with his decision and pressurising me to accept the plan. I have multiple appreciation emails and documents, which showcase my commitment and exemplary work for the past two years. Please advise what are the options I have to handle this scenario, as I am mentally stressed and feel humiliated by these actions.

Answer 1

Dear client,

Firstly, immediately back up off-network copies of all past appreciation emails, awards, and performance reviews. Keep a private, dated log detailing every instance of unevidenced criticism and public humiliation by your new manager.

Submit a formal written complaint to HR and your manager disputing the PIP's claim. Point out your strong track record, compare it with your manager's four-month tenure, and demand objective, quantifiable KPIs rather than vague claims. Simultaneously, escalate a workplace bullying grievance to the Ethics committee or Skip-Level Leadership to document the work environment.

Moreover, if remaining at the company becomes impossible, use your past contributions to negotiate a Mutual Separation Agreement (MSA) guaranteeing full notice pay, severance, a relief letter, and positive background verification. If the company attempts a forced resignation or arbitrary termination, issue a legal notice under Section 47 of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988, and file a complaint with the Labour Commissioner for constructive dismissal.

I hope this answer helps, if you have any other query kindly do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you.

Answer 2

Dear Client,

I understand your concern. Based on your legal query, I suggest you my legal opinion. That Firstly, you should keep all the evidence of your appreciation emails, your good performance reviews and your timelines of work projects successfully completed by you or under your guidance.

Do not accept the PIP silently, if your being forced to accept the PIP plan then reply that with a mail addressing that all the allegations made by the Manager as well as the HR are factually incorrect and without any concrete evidence and you can provide proper proof against the allegations made.

You can email the higher authorities regarding such harassment being faced by you and you being forced to accept the PIP plan in spite of all the projects being completed successfully and carrying an experience of more than 20 years, mentioning that since you have joined the company you have not made any failure from your side on your assigned job role.

You can also contact the Global Ethics Hotline or Prevention of Workplace Bullying and file a compliant against the Manager for mental harassment, bullying.

If you don't get a solution howsoever then you can send a legal notice to the the company and the manager for harassment, bullying and defamation.

Hope this answer helps!

If you require detailed legal advice, discussion of your documents or guidance regarding the further legal course of action, you may opt for a one to one consultation.
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Unfair treatment by Manager in IT Product organization

2 Answers