Anand Mahindra's apology over a techie's sacking brings IT layoffs in spotlight

Experts concede that there is no right way to conduct a layoff or hand-over pink slips to employees. However, some ways are worse than others. 

A recent ET article highlights "Anand Mahindra's apology over a techie's sacking brings IT layoffs in spotlight"

Anand Mahindra’s apology on social media on Friday following the firing of an employee at Tech MahindraBSE 0.96 % brought to the fore the contentious issue of the way pink slips are handed out in the Indian IT industry as it struggles with a challenging business environment and rising protectionism in the US. 

“I want to add my personal apology. Our core value is to preserve the dignity of the individual and we’ll ensure this does not happen in future,” the Mahindra Group Chairman said on Twitter.  

CP Gurnani, managing director at Tech Mahindra, tweeted, “I deeply regret the way the HR rep & employee discussion was done. We have taken the right steps to ensure it doesn’t repeat in the future.”  

The apologies came a day after a sound clip of the exit interview between a Tech Mahindra executive and the employee went viral on social media. The employee was asked to quit on a day’s notice. 

The apologies by Mahindra and Gurnani point to the role of social media in issues such as termination of jobs and workplace harassment. Employees of other IT companies in India have also shared recordings of their termination on social media sites.  

“In the wake of IT layoffs, I believe ‘social media’ is going to become ‘psychological media.’ It is going to be the go-to medium, be it Facebook, Twitter or others, where people can vent out disgruntlement and possibly seek other people to join them,” said brand strategist Harish Bijoor.