Letter to an Organization Looking for "Cheap" Employees

 

This month I went for a job interview at an organization (let it remain unnamed). There, I witnessed the sorry state of affairs that the Indian employment scene is currently going through. Though, I was already aware of the pity condition that the youth is currently facing but my first-hand experience there was really enlightening. I could not stop myself from bringing to their cognizance my feelings towards their ways of conducting business. 

Read the following letter that I sent to that institution to know what happened there and what I had to say to them.

I am posting this here for four reasons:

(1) To make people aware of what is happening

(2) This letter might interest someone just from an English-writing point of view
(3) To advice everyone to always ask for written assurances because oral talks are not trustworthy anymore.

(4) To send a message to everyone that you will always meet people whose attitude will be discouraging and who will let you down. You should not degrade your value because of them.

The text in black describes the sequence of events that occurred, and that in purple is my message for them.



Respected Madam

This refers to my ongoing discussion with you regarding a vacancy in your institution for a post related to Physics education. I have taken some time to express my discontent and disappointment while dealing with you for the said post.

Ma’am, before proceeding further I must declare that I do not mean any disrespect or insult to you or anybody whom I met or conversed with at your office, or over the telephone.

Kindly consider the following sequence of events (which you are already aware of) in the order of their occurrence:

1. After shortlisting my résumé (which had the link to my blog online), your HR executive called me over the phone and notified for a permanent job concerning the development, editing and, management of curriculum for classes 1st through 12th with an annual remuneration of around Rs. 480000 (i.e. around Rs. 40000 per month). It would be negotiable, I was told. I was asked to make a personal visit to your office. I gave my word.

2. At your office (May 04, 2019), I qualified the written test and had a personal interview with you. The dialogue went well and you described me the work and other things.

3. During the conversation, I was notified that along with other office jobs I was expected to author 6 books, which were to be taught in your schools, relating to Physics and associated fields. I assured that I would be able to carry out the expected tasks.

4. To further make yourself sure of my competence to pull off the required task, you delegated me a written assignment on a topic of your choice, which was to be written in a very specific form.

5. I submitted to you a 6-page sample chapter in the given time. You liked it and approved of it, and called me to discuss the terms and conditions of the job.

6. When I came to your office on May 08, 2019 to discuss the terms and conditions, the first question that I was asked was whether I would like to work as a freelancer or on a permanent basis. I found it strange as since the get-go it was always about a stable and permanent appointment. I communicated to you my willingness to join as a permanent employee.

7. Furthermore, that day, you apprised me that you sought me to finish the 6 books (mentioned in point 3) before July. I gave the nod.

8. Upon enquiring, you let me know that I won’t be recognised as the author of the said books on the book covers and that my name would be mentioned as a ‘content-writer’ in the acknowledgment along with others – typists, illustrators, etc. I was disappointed yet I came to an agreement.
And, I also expressed that anybody who works on the books in any capacity must be rightfully acknowledged for their efforts.

9. After that, you offered me Rs. 25000 per month. I expressed my discontent with the said amount and brought to your notice your HR executive’s ‘negotiable’ offer (mentioned in point 1). You gave me an outlandish reply that the people in the HR department are ‘unaware’ of things. I was astonished to hear your reply. I was disheartened.

10. I requested you for Rs. 35000. You denied.

11. Seeing my dissatisfaction, you proposed me to work as a freelancer on per assignment basis.

12. Upon enquiring, you notified me that not even a dime of royalty would be paid to the author (me).

13. I listened to your propositions and again voiced my preference for the permanent position that I had come for. I went low and requested you to raise your offer of Rs. 25000 to the upwards of Rs. 30000. The salary was supposed to be negotiable, right?

14. You suddenly changed your stance altogether and asked me to work as a freelancer. The opportunity for the permanent position was off the table. It vanished in the blink of an eye! I was flabbergasted.

15. Disappointed, I asked you to at least make me an offer and again requested to reach up to Rs. 30000 to Rs. 32000. You stated that you will have to discuss the matter and asked me to wait for your call the following day.

I agreed to all your terms and conditions, even though I was deeply saddened by some of them. I had come, thinking that a company of repute as yours would provide me with a platform where I could develop not only on a professional level but also on a personal level.

The word “YOU” in the following text refers to your institution and not to you respected madam, unless otherwise specifically specified. 

Madam, you have read so far, please be courteous enough and kindly go through the following as well:

1. Five days have passed and nobody from the institution has cared to let me know of the status, even if it is a no. Such unprofessionalism. Urgh! 

2. I find it astonishing and hard to believe that the HR department is so ill-informed that it does not even know what salaries are on offer. To observe such a blundering interdepartmental miscommunication is all at once – funny, incomprehensible and, perplexing.

3. Your organization is in the teaching industry for more than a decade yet it needs to be taught the meaning of the word “negotiable”. How was it negotiable when you did not even add a meagre Rs. 100 to your initial offer?!

4. You ought to respect the time of others. How can you instil our upcoming generations with virtuousness and integrity when you yourself lack it? 

5. I would also like to elucidate that an author is the writer of a literary work (such as a book) whereas a content-writer is someone who produces content for online usage mostly for web marketing campaigns. I fail to understand how can a person who is to ‘author’ 6 books on Physics and Robotic Science be termed as a content-writer! And, why should they be not acknowledged for their hard work? Is writing a book a piece of cake?  

I am deeply distraught by the behaviour of an organization that claims to be running more than 1100 schools all over India for more than a decade, and not to mention, also a university! Also, as per the placards at your reception, you plan to open 400 more schools in India and abroad. We also must not forget your other ventures as well such as ********, etc. Impressive!

I won’t refrain from saying that the capitalist mindset of institutions like yours is what is exactly wrong with this country. All you want is to reap the benefits of others’ hard labour in exchange for the peanuts that you offer in the name of pay.  You are akin to the big fishes in the oceans who grow stronger by preying upon their younger and weaker counterparts. Your commercial attitude is so naïve that you don’t even cringe while robbing a person off of their due credit that they rightfully deserve for their drudgery.


Let me justify my usage of such strong words in the preceding para.

Let us do some basic math. You claim to be running 1100 schools all over India. Suppose, I write a book for class 8. To get a basic idea of how you are behaving as a लाला जी की दुकान (लाला जी is corrupt), consider each school has just a single section of class 8 and only 30 schools are there in a class. Now, even if you keep the price of one book at Rs. 50, you earn at once – Rs. (1100 x 30 x 50) = Rs. 1650000! 

Bringing things back into perspective. So, you want to earn - at once - way more than Rs. Sixteen Lakhs and Fifty Thousand, and what do you want to pay me for such a colossal amount? Rs. Twenty Five Thousand. *Claps*

And don’t forget, I was asked to write 6 books (in about 1.5 months)!

I would again like to stress upon the fact that there are always multiple sections of a class, the students in each section easily exceed 30, and no private school sells a book for Rs. 50! Even the NCERT books are costlier than that. Moreover, the same books are taught for many years. It is not like that a book is published for just a single academic year. So, your earning is far greater than Rs. 1650000. 

Don’t forget that these were not novels or any other kind of books and there was nothing to worry about their sales. These were academic course books that were to be forced upon the students by the school administration. These were to become a part of the curriculum. So, monetary returns were guaranteed.  You yourself are the publisher, the marketer and, the supplier of consumers. You know the demand, you create the supply.

You want to earn lakhs and crores for a one-time investment of a small sum of Rs. 25000. You want me to do the donkeywork for six straight days a week and get in return a miserable insufficient, inadequate, scanty, derisory, and insulting sum of Rs. 25000, with a very high possibility of being shown the door after the completion of the said books!

I must again reassure you, respected ma’am, that I have no problem with you on a personal level. I am just against the system of which you are a part. You are very nice and polite. It would have been an honour for me to work under you and the other ma’am you introduced me to. Like her, I also don’t mince my words!  

I do not expect you to do anything.

Thanking you for your time and consideration.

Yours faithfully
Nitish Kapur