Last week I was traveling back to Hyderabad after attending a very important meeting.

I met a fellow traveler who introduced himself as one working for a leading Indian multinational IT company. For the purpose of this blog I will call him Mr S hereafter.

I could infer right from the beginning that Mr S was not happy and he was in fact sounding a bit of melancholic. I did not want to pursue the reasons for the same.

Since we belonged to the same industry, we felt comfortable in talking about the latest happenings in the industry.

From the annual variance pay payments to annual increments, we started discussing about the lay offs in IT companies.

Mr S suddenly turned emotional and stated that his company, though a very big Indian multinational, is not humane.

To support his statement, he shared the recent happenings in his company - the employees were called in and handed over ‘pink slips’ at 3.00 pm and asked to leave the company by 4.00 pm.

He felt very bad as some of his very close colleagues and some friends were handed out this treatment.

He stated that his company could have given some time to those identified or at best could have indicated that those employees with ratings below a particular score would be asked leave any time. This could have prepared the employees well in advance in meeting their fate.

He was highly critical of his company’s top brass. He stated that his HR chief is only an idealist and being in the HR area, he should be practical enough to understand his employees’ feelings.

I was totally taken aback by this.

His IT Company as I mentioned earlier is the top Indian IT company. It only recruits – whether as a direct or lateral entry – only those who have maintained highest academic track record by scoring 65% or above in each and every examination from school final onwards.

The company boasts itself of in providing excellent training facilities to its employees. It provides a very intensive three months training programme in its state of art training centre.

This being so, how a company could brand its employees – with such an academic track record and after exposing themselves to such an extensive and excellent training programme – as failures and turn them away in just a few minutes. Minutes may be too dramatic a statement but an hour would be a true reflection!

Probably this company would have been hit by the bug – recession – very badly and it is concerned very much with its performance and in posting quarterly returns for its shareholders.

Truly great companies, which really survive several decades in a meaningful way, do not have making money as their overarching goal; their mission would be to make an impact in the chosen field of endeavour in a dramatic manner.

Not that they would be averse to profits, or are run as a charity, or select a costlier alternative when a cheaper one will do.

Probably this company is turning out to be yet another company in deciding in favour of short term strategies rather than long term.

The employees are the best resources a company can boast itself. Without its employees the company is nothing.

I could get a feeling from my interaction with Mr S that almost all his colleagues who are still with the company are feeling the same way.

What shocked me most was his statement that all his friends would desert the company when it needs them most. I felt very bad. The days are going to crucial for this company.

Aspiring and ever lasting companies would focus on its people as they are the ones who really matter and they are only capable of building lasting institutions.

May be this company has been captured by people who remain at the top and who exhibit sheer intolerance due to their fears arising out of insecurity. Only such people could act in reckless ways to dishearten and discourage their fellow colleagues.

Lasting institutions are built brick by brick over a period of time. They always repose their faith in their employees and enable them to acquire solid skills and attitudes.

Unfortunately the present developments do not augur well for this company.