FLESH COVERED SKIN-A Corporate Story

"Hey...!

I agree that you've done a good job, but your work hasn't yielded any significant visible benefit for the company.
I'm not saying you haven't worked throughout the year, but compared to others, your performance has been slightly underwhelming.

This year, your promotion is not possible. Instructions from the top management have already come in. They’ve laid out specific points that should be fulfilled for a promotion. And besides, haven’t you seen the market conditions? This year, the company's profit trend is going downward.
I'll try to lobby for you next year. Don't worry!"

"Sir, you say the same thing every year. You said this last year too. And the year before that as well. Ask anyone here, and they’ll tell you how dedicated I am to my work. I hardly give any time to my family. Even after finishing my shift, I respond to calls, solve problems—everything.
Even my immediate manager is happy with my performance. But everything is in your hands, Sir."

"Look, Sambit. Don’t act like a child. This is a private company, not a government job. It’s about how much value an employee adds to the company's larger interest. Also, make sure you complete your work on time. Give some time to your family too. After all, we are all human beings. We need rest too.

There’s no point in staying mentally engaged with work even after going home. If you're still getting calls, that means you haven’t delegated your tasks properly."

"No, Sir. I’ve handed over my tasks appropriately."

"I get that some jobs remain linked to certain individuals. Besides, you are a senior—juniors are bound to come to you when they face problems."

"Sir, if I had gotten that promotion this year, I would’ve felt a little better."

"Let’s see, let’s see. You may go now. I still have many reviews to conduct."

As Sambit stepped out of Unit Head Debendra Solanki’s cabin, his eyes fell on Meera, the junior employee from his department.
Meera joined the company three years ago but has already received two promotions.

"Hey Meera, how are you?"
"I’m cool, Sir. How about you?"
"I'm good too."
"Any problem, Sir? You look a bit worried."
"No... nothing. I'm okay."

Unit Head Debendra Solanki was known to be a very strict man. He knew exactly how to extract work from employees. Most of the staff feared him. He had strong connections at the top level. He was close to the owner, which is why he held such a high position.

Solanki was a hardcore non-vegetarian. He rarely ate vegetables. Mutton was his favorite. Especially goat meat with the skin still on—it was his absolute favorite. Calling him a carnivore wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
He was over 55, but still quite a charmer. He dyed his hair and mustache. He appeared quite handsome—at least, that’s what many female employees in the company said.

Whenever he heard things like:
“Sir, you’re looking fabulous” from female employees,
a different man awakened within Solanki. He felt youthful again.

That’s probably why he liked female employees more than male ones.
When someone entered his cabin to discuss any issue, the cabin would often shake with his shouting:

“This shouldn’t have happened!!”
“You people are fools!”
“The company is run by idiots like you!”
“I don’t want to hear nonsense!”
... and so on.

But when a female employee stepped into his cabin, the atmosphere would become calm and composed.
He would yell and shout at male employees but use a soft tone for female employees.
For some reason, he had a special fondness for them that no one really understood.
While talking to women, a unique glow radiated from his body. A smiling face. A flirtatious gaze. He would sometimes gently pinch their cheeks out of ‘respect’.
If a woman did some visibly good work, he would publicly pat her back and appreciate her. That patting often lasted 40 to 50 seconds.

Of course, not all women liked this. Some would adjust their posture and respectfully move aside, saying, "Thank you, Sir."
Then the meat-loving Mr. Solanki would slowly withdraw his hand from their backs.

Solanki's wife was around the same age as him. They had a love marriage. They fell in love while studying engineering. Kajal Devi, his wife, was from Manipur. Her cheeks were round and rosy like apples.

She had come to Solanki’s city to study engineering. There, they met, fell in love, and eventually got married.
They had a daughter who was studying medicine in Delhi.
Solanki’s wife didn’t come to the township much—she stayed mostly in Delhi with their daughter.
It wasn’t that their relationship had soured. But over time, distance had crept in.
The kind of closeness they once had, the way they used to talk—those things had faded away.
Both had become extremely busy with their own lives. Even when they spoke over the phone, it was limited to "Yes, no, okay, done, fine, take care."
There wasn’t much beyond that.

Solanki now lived in the company’s guest house. A spacious two-bedroom flat with all the comforts.
Every evening, he’d have a small drink—three large pegs of Old Monk with chicken pakoras, or his favorite, meat with the skin still on.
He had also developed a habit of staying late in the office, even after work hours.
Employees used to say, “Sir doesn’t leave until 9:30 at night.”

But that wasn’t entirely true.
He often stayed back chatting with a few select people.
There was a girl named Prerna in the HR department. She had only recently joined the company.

Slim, soft-spoken, and with a sweet smile on her face, Prerna was beautiful.
Solanki was quite fond of her.
He would sometimes call her into his cabin even for minor issues.
If she didn’t show up, he’d message her on WhatsApp:
“Come when you’re free. I need to discuss something.”

She couldn’t ignore those messages.
She would come into his cabin, always hesitant.
She could feel that something wasn’t right.
But she couldn’t openly say anything either.
She needed the job. She had responsibilities.

One evening, Prerna was called in again.

“Sir, you wanted to see me?”

“Yes, come in, come in. Sit down. How’s work going?”

“Everything’s going fine, Sir.”

“You’ve adjusted quite well. You’ve grasped the system quickly. That’s good.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“There’s something I wanted to discuss with you... personally.”
Solanki paused and gave her a long look.

Prerna stayed silent.

“You’re very talented. You can go far in life. You just need a little push from someone senior, someone influential.”

Prerna gave a forced smile. She understood what was coming.

“You know, I’ve helped a lot of people grow in this company. All you need is a little support. I can talk to the top management for your quick promotion. You deserve it.”

Prerna quietly listened.

“But for that, you have to trust me. I want to see you grow.”

His voice turned softer. “We can go out for dinner sometime. What do you say?”

“Sir... I’m not comfortable with that,” Prerna replied firmly.

“Why? Don’t you trust me?”

“I do, Sir. But I prefer keeping personal and professional lives separate.”

“Oh come on! Don’t be so old-fashioned. Today’s generation isn’t like that. Learn to enjoy life too.”

“No, Sir. I’m sorry.”

And with that, she got up and left the cabin.

Solanki was stunned. No one had said no to him like that before.

From the next day onwards, he started finding faults in her work.

He began marking Prerna absent even if she was just a few minutes late.

If any document from her department had an error, he would call her out in front of everyone.
He stopped inviting her to important meetings.
He had started to emotionally harass her in small but sharp ways.

At first, Prerna tried to ignore it. She thought, “It’s okay. It’ll pass. Maybe he’ll get over it.”
But things kept getting worse.

One day, he assigned her to a remote location project—far away, challenging, and completely unrelated to her profile.
Prerna felt cornered. She was mentally exhausted.

One of her friends from the administration department noticed her stress and said,
“Why don’t you talk to the ICC?”

“The ICC?” she asked.

“Yes, the Internal Complaints Committee. Every company has one now under the POSH Act. It’s there to protect women from sexual harassment at the workplace.”

That night, Prerna couldn’t sleep.
She thought of resigning.
But then she remembered her father’s face, her mother’s tired eyes, and her younger brother who still needed her support.
She decided she wouldn’t run away.

The next day, she formally lodged a complaint with the ICC.

The Internal Complaints Committee took her complaint seriously.
They conducted a thorough and impartial investigation.
They spoke to witnesses.
Reviewed emails.
Checked her attendance records and her project files.
Everything was done confidentially, so that Prerna wouldn’t feel exposed or embarrassed.

In a few weeks, the Committee concluded their findings.
It was clear that the manager had misused his authority and harassed Prerna for rejecting his advances.

The company took strict disciplinary action against him.
He was removed from his position.

Prerna was relieved.
More than anything, she felt respected.
She had spoken up.
She had stood up for herself.

She continued her job with dignity, and today, she’s heading a team of her own.

End of the Story