Just when an employee feels guilty for taking an extra sick day to delve into their jammies and Kleenex, someone else comes along to make them feel less guilty. Enter Indian government employee Shri A.K. Verma. The employee was listed as an engineer for the country’s Central Public Works Department. Except for one major factor. Verma cashed in an earned leave in 1990, and never came back to work. It took 24 years to have the government worker fired, which many blame on the red tape of bureaucracy.
Verma worked in the agency for 10 years prior to his leave. Currently, officials have not shared if Verma was paid over the last 24 years, and a source close to the situation declined to comment on the case.
Labor laws in India, especially for government workers are incredibly slow to follow through. The Guardian had previously penned an article, naming India as one the countries with the worst civil service agencies and lack of oversight. In 2014, Indian Union Minister Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu launched an investigation into cases where it was reported employees did not show up to work. Dozens of case files were shoved into a drawer and last were reviewed in 2007.
Reportedly, a former official did launch an investigation against the employee a year after he did not return to work. Details of that investigation were not made available to the media.
In 2007, the former minister filed charges against Verma, but yet nothing was done regarding his lack of appearance at work. Until now. Upon review of Verma’s case, the officials immediately sent out a summons to terminate the missing employee for “unauthorized absence from duty.”
Employees are now getting away with less absences due to a new biometrics system the government has implemented and is enforcing. The system permits citizens to check in on their civil servants to see how many of the 56,000 public employees report to work, and was developed and supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What is the most days someone you work with or you have missed? We are guessing it isn’t near 24 years.
