IT company Tech Mahindra sacked its senior training leader, following an investigation on being accused of harassment and discrimination of a former employee at the company.
Gaurav Probir Pramanik, a former employee at Tech Mahindra, had taken his angst against Richa Gautam, a diversity and inclusion lead, to social media to make the matter public. He alleged in his tweet that his then boss had constantly ridiculed the colour of his clothes and his "effeminate" behaviour, which, he stated, was the main reason for his quitting the company in 2015.
"Arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter, the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect. At Tech Mahindra, we believe in diversity and inclusion and condemn discrimination of any kind in the workplace," tweeted the company late Saturday.
Ironically, Gautam also headed the firm's Anti Sexual Harassment Committee. In what came as a prompt action, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra responded to Pramanik's complaint on Twitter assuring him of personal intervention to help him secure redress. He tweeted: "I can categorically assure you that we celebrate diversity in our workplace. Our Code of Conduct is explicit on this subject...TechM is investigating these allegations, and appropriate action will follow..."
The company chairman called for a probe into the matter after an audio clip of the employee's termination by Tech Mahindra HR went viral. The company's HR executive was heard asking Pramanik to put in his papers by 10 am the next day, without which his services at the company would be terminated. While he kept pleading with the HR about such a short notice, the latter strictly told him that there is no room for 'flexibility' in this case.
"I deeply regret the way the HR rep & employee discussion was done. We have taken the right steps to ensure it doesn't happen in the future," tweeted C P Gurnani with Tech Mahindra's statement.
