The Hindu Business Line : Job switch not easy right now, say worried staff

Hyderabad, Jan. 8 A day after the shocking revelations by Satyam Computer Chairman, Mr Ramalinga Raju, employees are still reeling under its impact. While some are contemplating moves to seek opportunities outside, others are waiting to see the dust settle at the highest management level to chart their next moves.

“Things are not as they were a couple of days back. Though many have come to work today, it was more like a week-end mood; work did not take off at the usual pace and it was more like going through the motions. We are all sceptical about our future,” said Ms Divya, who works at the company’s City Centre office.

A fellow associate, Mr Rahul, said that many are planning to quit and join some other organisation as they fear they might not get next month’s salary. “If Mr Raju had to pledge shares to pay our salaries for December, then what will be the position in February? Where will the current management get the money from to pay us? Some of us might quit even if we have to take a cut in salaries,” he said.

‘absorbing the shock’

Echoing similar feelings, Mr E. Janardhan said, “Many of us are in the process of absorbing the shock and applying to other companies through our friends working there.” Interestingly, response from other technology companies for some is positve. “I have got a response from a Noida-based company,” he added.

According to Mr S. Gupta, another employee, the disclosure from Mr Raju only “hastened” the process of job-search for most of the Satyamites. “It is not that we are totally unaware of some brewing trouble; we have been looking out for other options. But exit from a beleaguered company is not easy when the industry is also down,” he said.

For Ms Sherwani, who works in a supervisory role, the last 36 hours had gone into stabilising the fears of family members about possible job loss. “My earnings are crucial for our family and I have been telling them that there is no safety of job even if our management is perfect, and we need to live with it,” she says.

Emotional bonds

For a couple of others, there is an emotional bonding attached. “I have made a lot of friends in the couple of years here. But now, as we look ahead, we are not sure of staying and working together as we believe that if the company is acquired by somebody else, they might be interested only in a couple of verticals and not taking over the entire group,” Mr Dheeraj, who has been with the company for more than seven years, said.

For many, the message from the interim CEO, Mr Ram Mynampati, is giving some confidence, but most of them are taking it with a pinch of salt.

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