Onsite Opportunity Excerpt 2

The euphoria gradually wore off as the onsite trip became history. The team now prepared for its annual review and performance appraisal, which was quite an ordeal. This was because, according to Tata Infotech’s HR policies, only one team member was given an A, with the others receiving Bs and Cs. This was a serious issue since the grade determined their promotions and salary hikes. When their annual performance appraisals were completed, Madhuri received a grade A, with Ganga and the other team members getting a grade B. He did not get a promotion, but got a small raise of 200. This was depressing and difficult to cope with for him, when he recollected the frequency with which he had spent nights and weekends at the office slaving over his work.  He confronted his team lead, Raghu, who expressed his helplessness in the face of company policies. All his attempts to negotiate were futile.

Ganga felt rebellious and restless and refused to accept the situation. He felt increasingly uncomfortable with Madhuri—he found it impossible to talk to her after she was promoted. His male ego had been wounded and he decided to change jobs. He prepared his resume and put it up on all the job websites that he knew of and gathered contact details of job consultants from friends.  He did this in the evenings, after returning home from work—he’d go to a cybercafé close by to spend hours searching for and applying to jobs. He scanned the job supplements every Tuesday and Wednesday.  He was a man with a mission. Eventually, he received a call from a mysterious-sounding job consultant.

“We have an urgent requirement in Singapore. Can you come to Nehru place for an interview? We represent Apar Infotech Private Limited, which is part of the multimillion-dollar Apar Group of industries. Some of the top Fortune 500 companies are our clients. We have a strong presence in the Southeast Asian market.” The consultant explained his requirements. Ganga had never heard the name of the company before.

“We have an urgent opening with a top telecommunication company in Jakarta, Indonesia. You will join the payroll of our Singapore branch and will be sent to Jakarta for the project.”

“What happens after the project in Jakarta finishes?” Ganga asked cautiously.

“Oh, we have a number of banking projects running in Singapore. You would be assigned to one of those projects.” The consultant spoke in a convincing tone.

Ganga felt the rush of adrenaline. On the one hand, there was a fear of the unknown, and on the other, there was an eagerness to go onsite. He wanted to prove his worth to the management in Tata Infotech.

“Take care with these small-body shopping companies. They promise the moon, but when the work is over, they simply lay you off,” his well-wishers cautioned him.