HR ignored harassments, abuse, defamation complaints and resignation under harassments

In 2019, I was working in a private limited (PVT LTD) company and was being harassed and abused at work. I filed a complaint to HR about it, naming the person involved, and also informed the directors of the company. They held an off-the-record meeting, during which the official who abused me apologized, assuring me it would not happen again. However, the abuse persisted, and despite making several complaints to my reporting manager, I continued to face mistreatment. I was also excluded from projects and subjected to defamation based on false accusations. These lies tarnished my reputation, despite being entirely untrue. Eventually, due to the ongoing issues, I decided to resign, outlining the reasons for my departure, but received no satisfactory response.

Facing financial difficulties, I focused on my job. Recently, as a reminder, I resubmitted the original complaint, given that the individual in question is now leaving the organization without facing any consequences. To my surprise, when HR contacted me, they claimed I had not named anyone in my initial complaint. After reviewing the documentation I provided as evidence, they questioned why I hadn't been informed of any actions taken. This puzzled me, as I had been a full-time employee until January 2020, transitioning to a contract role until March 2020. How could HR have taken action without my involvement?

Despite my complaints regarding defamation, project exclusion, and unequal treatment being repeatedly ignored, I brought these issues to their attention once more, providing additional evidence. Unfortunately, HR failed to address any of the filed complaints, leaving me disheartened. I expressed my willingness to wait for a resolution, only to be now advised to move on and forget about the past grievances. This turn of events has left me feeling shocked and unsure of how to proceed. Can anyone offer me advice on the next steps to take?

Dear Siddharth,

In your past company, you had suffered harassment at the hands of an official. As an aggrieved employee, you had raised the grievance. In the off-the-record meeting, "they" apologized. Who were "they"? Did these people include an official who harassed you? Why did you settle for the off-the-record discussion or assurance? Why did you not insist on proceeding with the legally prescribed procedure?

Who was this official? Was he a relative or close to the MD? Did he call the shots?

Anyway, notwithstanding the assurance by "them," the harassment by the official continued. Unable to bear the torment, you had resigned. With your resignation, the chapter was closed. The closure of the chapter may not be for you, but at least for the company's top-management officials.

When you were an employee, even during your tenure, your company did not ensure that proper justice was delivered to you. Then why do you expect that after leaving the company, the top-management officials would take action against your tormentor?

Well, gentleman, what is the point in raking up the matter now? You could have dismissed your stint in that company as a setback or nightmare and moved on. Praise and insult are a part and parcel of life. But neither one should go overboard because of the praise nor should one get dispirited because of the insults. We need to look at both with equanimity.

When you were working in the company, you could have taken the matter to a logical conclusion by escalating the issue to the MD. If that had not worked, then, you could have gathered incontrovertible evidence of your insult or harassment and filed a police complaint. It would have shaken the company officials to the core. But all you did was approach the HR or the Directors who were anyway siding with your tormentor.

The only suggestion that can be given now is to forget and move on. If we intentionally remember a few things, then we must learn to forget a few things as well. Please note that the heart is a body part that conducts vital functions of the body. Please do not convert it into a storeroom to store anger. Look at the positive side of life, work hard, and try to achieve something unattainable. Don't waste even a minute thinking of settling a score with officials of the past company.

All the best!

Dinesh Divekar

Whether a case of defamation could lie has to be examined based on the material with you. The long delay of more than a year could pose many questions regarding maintainability. Only a capable advocate would be able to give an opinion on this. Alternatively, I would suggest making a formal complaint with supporting evidence to the Human Rights Commission of your state. In case you are in the software business, a complaint could lie to NASSCOM. I presume you are not with that Pvt Ltd company anymore. In case there are any unions in that company, they could be approached.