All I have right now is letter of intent - Can I show this as a part of employment in the resume?

Dear All,

Need your valuable suggestions. I joined an organization in the first week of March. All I have right now is a letter of intent, which is essentially a copy-pasted email from the official email ID without any attachment. I would have received a hard copy of the appointment letter, but the lockdown occurred just two weeks after joining. As part of salary proof, I have a bank statement. Can I include this as part of my employment history on my resume? Please suggest.

Yes, it's okay. You are free to make use of whatever .docx files available in your possession to substantiate your past service.

Thanks, Sir. However, I have one more question. We have not received any salaries for the last four months, and our official email IDs are not working. How should I resign if I want to?

If you've decided to resign and wish to send a communication somehow, you can write, type, and print it, sign it, and post it to your HR, c.c. to HoD/Lead. If you have a personal email ID (Gmail/Yahoo/Rediffmail), you are free to send an email as well, followed by a post or courier. Speed post/Regd. post Ack. due is the best choice. Follow it up with your formalities like handing over the company's properties and a detailed status report to your reporting Manager/Lead/HoD/HR, in that order. I think you have their contact numbers. Why don't you talk to them freely and take their advice as well? This will also provide an answer to your past salaries.

Since during the days of the pandemic, with intermittent lockdowns, you would have had very few days of work, if you marked any attendance at all. However, this period should be considered as being 'employed' in XYZ Company, and you might require a relieving letter. If possible, you have to obtain it and use it wherever necessary.

Working for the last four months attracts serving the notice period or paying salary in lieu. However, since you have not accepted/acknowledged the hard copy of the appointment letter nor received any salary, your appointment with the Company is void, as no attendance has been marked by you.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong if you decide to leave the Company. However, if you request salary, then you will have to serve the notice period or provide salary in lieu, depending on the Company's policy.

Dear Sumit Panwar,

You joined the organization in March 2020. Two weeks after your joining, a lockdown was declared.

You have some proof of your employment with the organization. The company has not paid you any salary since your joining, and the official company email is not working. You are unsure about the status of your employment.

Based on the information you provided, I would like to offer the following advice:

1. Start looking for another job.

2. Do not include this job on your resume as you have hardly worked there.

3. If the company contacts you after the lockdown is lifted and you do not have another job, you may consider rejoining. In this case, the company might offer you backdated salary from March 2020.

4. The company is obligated to pay you for the period from March 2020 until the start of the lockdown. During the lockdown, it is the company's responsibility to decide on paying you while you stay at home, regardless of government directives. Considering your minor stake in the company, I do not recommend pursuing legal action against them.

5. Let go of any grievances and focus on finding a new job.

Please feel free to reach out if you need further assistance.

Best regards,

[Your Name]

Hi SumitP,

You are free to make a decision in the given situation as we suggested above. You may also consider what's better suited. If you choose resignation and the tag of your employer carrying a reputed brand value Co. & that would boost up your CV, then you may do like this:

1. You may be serving your Probation period, though it's only for a couple of weeks. Presumably, the probation period may be 6 months to 1 year or so with a provision of a notice period of one month in advance. If this is correct, you may send a formal letter requesting them to treat the period under lockdown as your notice on resignation and close the matter.

2. Did anybody ask you to use the option/opportunity to Work From Home? If yes, what's its status?

3. Hopefully, when you join a new employer soon, you may think of telling the truth if it would add to your employability.

4. In any case, you should discuss with your office to know what's appropriate and would help you make a decision.

All the best.

In continuation of the post:

1. Our official IDs have stopped working.
2. There is no update from management.
3. All I have is only an email copy of the offer/intent letter, that too copy-pasted with no attachment.
4. Bank statement as proof of one month's salary that I received.

If I join somewhere else, what all should I show as documentary proof? Please suggest.

Hi Sumit,

I have suggested that you visit your office to find out the status of your position. Since you have received your salary, it's evident that you are on their payroll and are employed there for all purposes. You need to determine if you can continue working there or not before making a decision. Have they opened your EPF account?

The fact that your official email ID stopped working does not necessarily mean you have been removed. Even if you are considered separated, there should be a logical conclusion to this situation. Many factories and units have resumed operations either partly or fully in the past few months. With more relaxations announced in Phased-4, both inter-state and intra-state travel without an ePass is now allowed. Why are you hesitant to visit your office and find out the situation? If they allow you to resume work, decide whether to continue or not. Other decisions will follow once you make up your mind. Your current documentation is sufficient. Have you been actively looking for a new job and found one in the last 4-5 months?

Sir, I have already cross-checked; there is no EPF account opened. I am looking for new jobs and will formally resign from the company ID mentioned on ROC soon. I appreciate your help.