Deadly Shortcuts
Shaan Bhatkar was travelling all over the country to recruit managers at different levels under him. He had joined Prestige Motor Company Ltd couple of years ago after having had a great stint with his earlier employer Universal High Tech Products Ltd. He had a well deserved reputation of a high flier executive. After joining Prestige Motor Company Ltd, he expanded his department rapidly within couple of years and his management had sanctioned him additional manpower. So he was looking out for the right people.
Today he was in the city of the corporate office of his earlier employer Universal High Tech Products Ltd. He was conducting interviews with the job applicants at a five star hotel of the city. In the evening, after the interviews, he would still be left with sufficient time before the normal closing time of a typical business day. During that period, he intended to meet up with his ex-boss Ehsan Pasha in the corporate office of Universal High Tech Products Ltd- to pay his courtesies. He telephoned Ehsan Pasha who was overwhelmed by Shaan’s gesture and warmly invited him in his office in the evening.
Now he was with Pasha. After initial exchange of pleasantries, Pasha enquired of him, “Are you here for conducting the job interviews?”
When Shaan nodded in affirmation, he quipped, “Then you are a god sent man. Do you remember one of your colleagues Krish Juneja? He has applied to one of the positions you had advertised and you must select him. Was he interviewed today?”
Shaan Bhatkar said, “I remember Krish very well, how can I forget him. Do you recall that when you were looking out for a bright manager who could run our high precision manufacturing unit; I was the one to recommend him for that position?” After some pause I continued, “No, he was not interviewed today. His interview is scheduled for tomorrow. I would not hesitate to grab him for a job with me, he is good. But I wonder if he would like to work under me. After all he was my contemporary when I was in Universal High Tech Products Ltd.”
Ehsan Pasha paused for a while and mentioned, “But you always ran faster than him. You were always seen as a better leader and a manager than him. He knows that and under the circumstances he is in now, he would not mind reporting to you.”
Shaan asked, “What kind of circumstances you are relating to, in his case?”
He was a bit surprised that Shaan was not aware about the circumstances in which Krish Juneja was. Yet, he clarified, “Don’t you know what arduous time he is going through? The nasty news is all over the place; it is in the newspapers. About couple of weeks ago, one of the workers in his manufacturing unit charged him with molesting his sister. Based on the prima facie investigations, he had to spend couple of nights behind the bars in the local jail. That worker’s sister worked as a domestic help at the residence of Krish Juneja. She is a pretty good looking girl. Juneja’s wife was away from home and the maid was carrying out her daily chores of sweeping and swabbing the house. Juneja was present in the house. It is alleged that Juneja had an eye on that maid for quite some time and that occasion of privacy suited him to force the servant girl into physical intimacies. The worker took up the case not only with the police but also with the union leaders of the factory’s workers union who have threatened Juneja aggressively.”
Shaan Bhatkar became dumb momentarily to listen to what Ehsan Pasha was narrating.
Ehsan Pasha continued without waiting for any comments of Shaan. He wished to get the whole story out of his system. He went on, “The entire top management in the high precision manufacturing unit and few of us in the corporate office, including me, are trying to help out Juneja. He has been instrumental in bringing the high precision unit back on the track because of his deep technical understanding and his courage in enforcing the discipline among the workers. Of course, the workers’ union and the entire work force had not liked the idea of enforcing the disciplinary measures suddenly introduced by Krish Juneja. Among many instances of tightening of the shop floor discipline, this worker on whose complaint and allegation Juneja went through the entire ordeal was twice suspended by Juneja from work on account of the worker’s indiscipline. Due to his suspension from work, the worker had felt highly humiliated as per the workers’ union’s version. But as per the worker’s own statement, he was suspended not because of his indiscipline but because he had warned Juneja not to make any advances with his sister. His sister had told him about Juneja’s attempted misbehavior with her. In any case, on union’s intervention with management, he was reinstated on the job both the times only after he apologized to Juneja. Some people believe that the worker took revenge by maligning Juneja this way. From our private talks with Juneja’s wife, we gather that even she is mighty upset with her husband’s behavior- that’s quite unfortunate for Juneja. From the beginning she did not want to have a beautiful young girl as a servant in the house and she had spoken about it to Juneja couple of times. But Juneja did not think that to be an important issue and dismissed it.”
Shaan was listening to the whole story with lots of concentration but did not speak or comment.
That gave an indication to Ehsan Pasha to continue and complete his narration. He said, “After the management’s dialogue with the workers’ union, an out of court settlement was reached and the case against Juneja was withdrawn from further legalities. I understand that a huge sum of money was paid by Juneja to settle the matter. The union stipulated that none of the workers would like to accept Juneja as their manager here onwards. They would not like to work under a morally degraded person. Management finally deputed Juneja, temporarily, in the corporate office and advised him to immediately look out for opportunities outside the company as well as the city. That’s why you should pull him out of this tricky situation. You will really do a great favor to him.”
Shaan Bhatkar remained non-plussed.
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