Can A Employer Blacklist The Employee If He Absconds?

Hello, my name is Atif. I was selected in an interview at a well-known BPO registered with NASSCOM. I have completed my joining formalities and received the appointment letter. However, my training has not started. The next day, they called me and asked me to sign a bond with them for a year. Due to some reasons, I refused to sign it. They then started forcing me to sign the bond, stating that since they had appointed me and my joining was done, I had to sign it. I refused to sign and mentioned that if I was forced to sign, I would leave the job. They threatened to blacklist me, but I stood my ground, did not sign, and left the premises. They called me again to come and sign it, warning that they would mark me as absconding in their database and with NASSCOM, potentially blacklisting me. However, I do not wish to go back there. Can they abscond me or blacklist me for not signing the bond? Will this have any effect on my future job prospects and career? Please, can anybody help me with this situation?

Dear Atif,

The employer cannot blacklist you from future employment. This is just pressurizing you to sign the bond. If anyone has signed the bond with a company for a particular period of time, that doesn't mean he can't leave this company before that particular time. These bonds are just to ensure that you leave that organization in a proper way according to the rules of the company, e.g., serving notice period after resigning, etc.

You need not worry about signing the bond. If you are unwilling to do so, they still can't force you to or blacklist you. So, don't worry... just chill.

Vinay Bishnoi

Dear Atif Ahmed,

If it is possible, please contact Nasscom and submit your justification for not being willing to proceed further. I hope you have documented all the support you provided. You have the option to challenge the company's decision and file a defamation case against the employer and Nasscom. It would be advisable to consult a competent lawyer who has a good understanding of administrative activities, as well as the work culture in Nasscom and BPOs.

Thank you.

Hello Atif Ahmed,

Further to what S. Bhaskar suggested, I have a few queries.

1. Did your Appointment Letter have any mention of the Bond?

2. Was anything related to the Bond mentioned to you at any time during the selection process (interview, etc)?

3. Regarding your objections to sign the Bond, you mentioned 'due to some reasons, I refused to sign it.' Can you mention the reasons—at least in general terms—if you don't want to discuss the exact reasons on this forum?

Regards,
TS

Hi Atif,

Does your offer letter from this particular company mention that you should sign a bond for a specific tenure? Did the recruiter communicate this agreement to you at any point in the recruitment process? Is there any written proof based on which the offer was made?

For your information, no company will complete your joining formalities (generate an appointment letter) without ensuring that you have signed all the necessary statutory documents, NDAs, codes of governance and ethics, and any necessary company-specific documents without the required background checks being done. No company has the right to ask you to sign any agreement against your interests unless it has been communicated and agreed upon by you beforehand. The company may be telling fabricated stories to convince you to sign the bond. As Mr. Bhaskar said, you can take legal action against the company for this.

Thank you.

Hi everyone,

Firstly, I want to thank everybody for their suggestions. I would like to tell you that my offer letter does not contain any clause which says I have to sign the bond. However, it is mentioned that in certain conditions, the company may ask to sign a bond. During the interview, it was communicated that under certain conditions, the company may require you to sign a bond. Before joining, I asked many of my colleagues working there, and they informed me that the bond is not necessary; they just mention it. So, I orally agreed.

After joining, they asked me to sign the bond. Since I was also preparing for some jobs in the government sector, I thought if I signed the bond, I would not be able to leave the company for 1 year, even if I got selected for the government job. Therefore, I refused to sign it. They were pressuring me to sign it, so I decided to leave. Now, they are calling me and threatening to abscond me and blacklist me.

Can they do this? Will it have any effect on my future job prospects?

Regards,

Atif

Hi,

Good morning!

Can someone help me with the below query? I have joined a service-based company 25 days ago, and now I have received an offer from a product-based company. Therefore, I have resigned from my current service-based company. They are requesting me to serve a notice period of 60 days, but the new company requires me to join in 15 days. Please advise if I walk out without serving the notice period, will they declare me absconded.

Please assist me with the following question: If my current company declares me absconded or blacklists me, will other companies that are part of the National Skill Registry (NSR) be able to view these reviews?

Thanks,
Vish