Punjab woman claims toxic boss fired her over Raksha Bandhan, company cites conspiracy

A Punjab-based HR manager claimed she was fired by her “toxic boss” for protesting against a Raksha Bandhan leave policy in her company. After Babina's LinkedIn post went viral, B9 Solutions – the Mohali-based digital marketing firm – responded to it by saying she was trying to “create a conspiracy and create a union”.

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In her post, Babina shared screenshots of her WhatsApp conversation with her boss Kunal Kakkar, in which he announced a holiday for employees on August 15 as the company will be “closed” on Independence Day. He, however, added that attendance on August 19 – Raksha Bandhan – is mandatory and neither “half day” nor “short holiday” will be granted.

If an employee wants to take a leave on August 19, his salary for seven days will be deducted, Kunal Kakkar said in the message.

“Anyone who does not come to work on August 19th must expect a 7-day deduction. Attendance on this day is mandatory. Anyone who does not agree with this decision is welcome to submit their resignation,” the message said.

In her response, as per the screenshots, Babina told Kakkar, “But I feel that this is not ethical. It is also not a fair practice in terms of law or fundamental rights. We cannot deduct seven days' salary for one day.”

“Yes, I know. But I have to do it. Otherwise, you can submit your resignation. I have no problem with that,” Kakkar replied.

This conversation, Babina claimed, was followed by her termination. “I tried to fight back against what was against the law. But as a result, I received a termination letter. In the email, he mentioned that he would give me two weeks, but he revoked all access rights so that I could leave immediately,” Babina said in her post.

She called her boss “toxic” and added, “This is my conversation with my boss Kunal Kakkar and he fired me because I took a stand and suggested to him that we cannot deduct seven days' salary for one day's absence. If someone wants a toxic boss then only he/she can come to B9 Solutions.”

B9 Solutions, meanwhile, responded that Babina's post only tells one side of the story: “Hey! It's very easy to play the victim card and get sympathy. While most of us really enjoy good gossip, some just want reach and others receive the message in the WhatsApp group just to show their solidarity. It's very easy to judge when you only hear one side of the story.”

The company also said that Babina had received several warnings for violating the code of conduct in her workplace prior to her termination.

“Did Babina tell any of you that before she was fired, she received several warnings for her excessive phone usage, attending online classes during work hours, inability to maintain the company's social media accounts, inability to fill the vacancies, and doing her daughter's homework during work hours? She tried to create a conspiracy and a union by asking the entire workforce to take long paid vacation days from August 15, a national holiday, to August 20.”

The company also accused Babina of trying to “manipulate” the management: “While the entire office supported the decision to take the first holiday on August 15 and our weekend holiday and assured everyone that he would be back to work half a day with flexible shift on August 19, the said Raksha Bandhan, Babina tried to manipulate the management by constantly saying that it was the employees' demand. Why do you think this message was sent only to her? Why did no one else object? The reason is that everyone had raised their concerns personally to ensure transparency.”

Babina, meanwhile, received supportive messages in the comments section of her post, with several paragraphs applauding her for “exposing” her boss. “Modern day slavery, no one can rule an Indian better than an Indian,” reads one example of a comment on her post.

Some users also advised Babina to “file a lawsuit in the labor court,” while she assured that she would “fight to the end.”