Taking advantage of the weak top management of the firm which lacked the courage and competence to deal with the aggressive Employees' Union, the white collar employees called 'office assistants' were creating a lot of problems to the Branch Managers and other officers.
Mr. Shanmugam, the Manager of the branch to which I was posted, was a soft person. Chandru, employed as an office assistant in that branch, was an office bearer of the Employees' Union. Using his position as a weapon, he was keeping the office assistants under control, while also displaying arrogance and defiance towards the officers, often using intemperate language while interacting with them and treating them with contempt.
Not a day passed without Chandru going to Shanmugam's cabin, raising some issue or other and making some demands.
Seeing Chandru enter his cabin, Shanmugam would become nervous and his face would turn pale.
Shanmugam would patiently listen to Chandru and nod his head and say, "I will talk to the Head Office about this."
Once I asked him, "Sir! Why are we being so indulgent towards Chandru? If we firmly say 'No' to his demands, what can he do?"
"You are new to this organization. You don't know anything. You just do your job" he told me, with irritation.
I understood that he was directing his anger, which he shouldn't show to Chandru, at me and kept quiet.
Maybe because I was new to the organization, Chandru was friendly towards me. Though I was angry with him for causing disruptions to the smooth functioning of the office, I reciprocated his friendship, without showing my feelings of displeasure to him.
The office functioned till five o' clock in the evening. All the office assistants would leave the office sharply at 5 p.m. We, the officers would stay late, till we completed the day's work. It would be usually 8 p.m. by the time we completed the work.
"If the office assistants did at least fifty percent of the work they are expected to, we wouldn't have to work such long hours. All the employees are capable of working well. It is Chandru, who is spoiling them" Shanmugam would often lament.
It was five o' clock in the evening. The office assistants were beginning to leave. Meenakshi, the typist was typing an important letter to be sent to the Head Office.
Chandru came to Meenakshi's seat and yelled "Why are you working after the office hours?" He then pulled out the letter from the typewriter.
Shanmugam came to the spot, rushing from his cabin and spoke to Chandru, in a pleading voice, "Mr. Chandru! This is an important letter. It has to be posted at the R.M.S.* at the railway station tonight. It will take only five minutes for her to type this letter. Please allow her to complete typing that letter."
Ignoring Shanmugam's words, Chandru told the typist, "Why are you still here? Leave for home immediately."
He then turned to Shanmugam and told him in a commanding voice, "Mr. Shanmugam! The management has stopped paying overtime wages to the employees. Therefore, none of us will work even for a minute after the office hours are over" and left.
Every one at the office looked at Shanmugam with pity. Shanmugam retuned to his cabin, feeling humiliated.
An officer who knew typing typed that letter and the letter was sent.
Many years had passed.
Shnmugam retired from the job. I got a couple of promotions and became the Manager of a branch.
With a view to curbing the power and dominance of the Employees' Union, the management promoted many assistants as officers. The number of office assistants was progressively reduced through promotions and through stopping the recruitment of office assistants. Computerization came in handy in getting the number of assistants reduced,
Several office-bearers of the Employees' Union, realizing that their power and dominance were getting reduced, made use of the opportunities for promotion and became officers. Chandru was one among them.
Realizing that after becoming an officer, he didn't have the protection of the Union, Chandru's attitude towards work underwent a change. He focused on working hard and doing his job efficiently.
At one time, he was working as officer in the branch of which I was the Manager.
Chandru, an officer at the first level, attended the interview for promotion to the second level. He told me that he performed well in the interview and that he was confident that he would be selected.
As apart of the policy of transparency followed by our firm, there was a rule in our firm that the appraisal report of an employee by his superior officer should be shown to the employee, before it was sent to the Head Office. Chandru was thus aware that my appraisal report about him was positive. His optimism was justified on that count also.
However, Chandru didn't get the promotion. It was a big disappointment to him.
"Don't lose heart. Such disappointments happen to many people in organizations. You will definitely get the promotion next year" I consoled Chandru.
After a few weeks, I happened to meet Shanmugam in a marriage. After talking about several things, the topic turned to Chandru.
"I heard that Chandru is working in your branch" said Shanmugam.
"Yes, sir. But, he is completely transformed now. He works very hard and he is also efficient. All of us thought that he would get the promotion, but he didn't. He is much disappointed" I said.
"Naturally!" said Shanmugam, with a smirk on his face.
I looked at him, with a sudden feeling of suspicion that surfaced in my mind.
"The promotion list was finalized by the General Manager, wasn't it?" he asked me, as if he didn't know the procedure being followed in our firm!
"Yes, sir."
"Your General Manager had worked under me!" said Shanmugam, smiling.
Realizing Shanmugam's role in the denial of promotion to Chandru, I told him, "Chandru was a deserving candidate. He should have got the promotion."
"He will get it next year. It is just a matter of waiting for one year!" said Shanmugam, his smile still lingering.
Suddenly, the smile on his face vanished and his face muscles hardened.
"You remember the incident of his stopping the typist from typing an important letter, in spite of my pleading with him? The humiliation I had felt on that day is still haunting me" he said, with bitterness.
When I looked at his face, I was reminded of a bright sky suddenly becoming gloomy, due to the fast movement of dark clouds over it.
*R.M.S. - Railway Mail Service
Knowing One's Strength
uL vErppar oLLiyavar.
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