It started with Nirav Mehta writing on his blog about two of his employees who quit with practically no notice and joined Lionbridge Technologies. It seems one just called and said that he is not coming anymore, while the other came and demanded his papers ASAP.
The interesting thing is, Nirav's HR called up the HR of Lionbridge, one Deepak Deshpande, to discuss this, and he was quite clear that that is what they do - poach people when necessary and wait till we hire more people from your team! Say what you will, you know there's some balls there. "I will hire them, and you won’t be able to do anything. I am a big company, you are not!"
Anyway, Nirav blogged about it, and then there were comments and countercomments and then Vulturo blogged about it, and then Rashmi Bansal reacted to his post, and it goes on, like a typical day in the blogosphere.
Vulturo says:
Your employees are not your slaves. Neither are they married to your company: Its a free country. If they don’t wanna work for you, its their choice.And more...
I’ll tell you what really strikes me as unethical. It is companies using below the belt methods as retention strategies: tearing up resignation letters, emotional blackmail, refusing to relieve employees, holding back relieving letters of resignees with the intention to make their joining dates with the new company lapse, which works as a threat to leave them in a limbo, deliberately delaying the payment of dues for months together as a punishment for people who quit your company, et cetera.Read the entire post here.
Good points. Now Rashmi Bansal thinks its not that simple, and there are reasons why employees should follow the fules, show basic courtesy..
Leaving without notice period, to my mind, reflects lack of common courtesy. And it is a behaviour that we as a company do not encourage. If you were already employed somewhere, but willing to join me tomorrow, I would look at it in an unfavourable light.Read the entire post here.
Good points there too.
Let me add my bit here. If you have a problem with your employer, and you get a better offer (salary or otherwise), do walk out - knowing full well that there may be consequences that come and bite you in the butt tomorrow. Most employers are not saints, and try the worst tricks while you work with them - but sometimes, the sheer thrill of saying FU and walking away is worth it. But yes, remember that bad word - consequences.
But if you have no problems with your organisation already, then do not walk out just for a better job. Not worth it. You will be making life difficult for them unnecessarily, and you can do with the good wishes of the place in the future. Even the greediest HR manager is amenable to negotiation on when you can join (and when you can leave) - and beware of the one who insists that you have to chuck your earlier job and join rightaway. Most times, his company is not going to be a great place to work for. He KNOWS that when you walk out, you cannot go back to that company for a reference letter tomorrow. So he is knowingly screwing you. Don't give in.