Thousands of young Indians are suddenly staring at an uncertain future as technology companies and start-ups announce mass layoffs. Many people are talking about it.
When he realized that he and several colleagues were likely to lose their jobs with a major Indian edtech firm, he immediately set up a private messaging group with them.
The group became a "safe space" for the group to air their fears, share tips on dealing with the management and discuss labour laws.
Many in the team were able to get better exit policies from the company.
The past few months have been hard for Indian workers in private companies. Hundreds of jobs have been cut at Edtech firms Byju's and Unacademy, as well as at social media giant Twitter, which has laid off more than half of its staff in India.
Many of the people who have been laid off are using the internet to vent their anger and form support networks.
They're using social media, messaging platforms, and sharing information with journalists to assert their rights after being fired.
As mass layoffs become more common in India, the culture of shame and silence that used to exist around terminated workers is starting to wear thin.
Experts say that social media is helping unite and amplify voices as trade unions are not as powerful as they used to be.
Millions of Indian workers still belong to trade unions, but the movement as a whole has weakened over time. A number of factors, including a rise in private sector jobs, new labour reforms and a rise in contractual work, have affected their membership.
According to Professor Chandrasekhar Sripada, professor of practice, organisational behaviour, at the Indian School of Business, social media is giving employees a platform to air their grievances, thereby reducing the need for a mediation.
Many of Byju's employees have spoken to the media about the company culture and the pressures they face after it was announced that it wouldrationalise about 2,500 employees.
The employees who were fired took to social media to complain. One former employee wrote "Always a Tweep never a twit" in a veiled reference to Musk. Didn't get a confirmation email. One person said there was always a new low.
Pritha Dutt, a management and development sector professional, says that even a couple of decades ago, layoffs weren't that common.
She says that layoffs and downsizing have become accepted business practices.
With the job market expanding, employees have become more confident about the marketability of their skills and don't mind standing up for their rights, even if that means calling out a person or organisation on social media.
Sometimes the public outrage can help, like pushing employers to apologize for promoting a toxic work culture, or for firing staff in an inappropriate way.
This success could be short-lived, warns Ms. Dutt. The option may not be available to everyone as many still fear speaking out as they worry about legal action from their employers.
Many employees are searching for other ways to fight for their rights.
140 employees of Byju's who alleged they were being forced to resign went on a protest and met a state minister who announced an investigation into the matter.
Byju's said it had changed its mind about shutting down operations at Thiruvananthapuram.
Three former employees at an edtech firm told the British Broadcasting Corporation that they were working with a trade union to negotiate with their former employer.
The president of the Bangalore chapter of the All India IT & ITeS Employees' Union said that the organization's membership has been growing.
He concedes that this is still tiny compared with the total number of employees, and that a majority of IT sector professionals are still uncomfortable being part of trade unions because they don't see themselves as workers.
India will see a resurgence in unionisation as the push and pull of global economic forces make the job market more volatile, according to Mr. Das maharajappatra.
Over the past couple of years, US giants such as Amazon, Starbucks and Apple have seen their workers form unions and observers say calls for unionisation are likely to grow louder
MrSripada disagrees. He says that trade unions don't need to be the norm as more and more people are aware of the benefits of progressive policies.
Bad people management is to blame for unions. Unions increase when employers fail. He says that the responsibility for making people management the centre of business is with employers.
If an organisation continues to lay off people in a callous manner, the story may not be the same.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
