I am currently travelling back to IBM India after my 11 months of onsite assignment from Canada. Recently in Nov 2013, my company had changed our employee policies and made changes cutting down some benefits earlier provided to its resources returning to INDIA. I am surprised to know how these changes could be applicable to resources who had traveled onsite to a foreign country before these new changes came in. Would like to know if there is a way I can challenge my company on these changes. Also there is a discrimination based on resources returning to the base location and non-base location. Below are some of the changes:
- People returning to India (to base/ non-base locations) used to be provided with 14 days of hotel accommodation, per diems and conveyance. Now they have removed this benefit to people returning to the base location. ( Base location is the City where the employee originally belongs to and non-Base location is a new city which is different from the city where the employee belongs to. Ex: I worked in my company from Hyderabad for 2.5 years and came to Canada. So this is my base location). Now I am returning to Hyderabad again. But I don’t have any place to live in as soon as I land at 2 am at night with my family. It would be very expensive and tough to find an rental accommodation as soon as I reach Hyderabad. Here, my company seems to be discriminating the resources based on Base location and non Base location. People who returned to India prior to Nov 2013 availed all these benefits even if they had traveled to their base location. They received Hotel accommodation for minimum of 14 days, 800 rs per family member as perdeim and also conveyance.
- I am returning to India with my family in the mid of an academic year. So I would lose my Childs academic year of education if he wouldn’t be given admission in any good school after I come back in January. I inquired a couple of good schools and many are asking a donation or admission fee of nearly 1.5 lakhs. As per the current Policy, IBM is providing refund / benefit for claiming the Kids school Admission Fee to the resources moving to the non base location only. They used to give this benefit to all prior to November 2013.
- Similarly, all the resources used to get the benefits of other expenses like Transportation and Registration of vehicle, Miscellaneous expenses and Rs 25000 of Brokerage for the new rental accommodation. But now all these facilities are being provided only to resources returning to Non Base Location Only.
- How could a new policy be applicable to resources who had traveled onsite prior to the new changes? We traveled abroad thinking that IBM would take care of us as soon as we return. But now the new changes be made applicable to us. Does this mean that what ever changes they make, example if they make a change saying that they wouldn’t pay our return travel expenses and the employee should only bare it, would that be a fair change in policy?
- Why should there be a discrimination on resources based on the location? Anyone returning from any foreign assignment should be treated equal and should be given same benefits. As the school admission fee for children, Brokerage, Hotel Accommodation for family etc are required by all and are very expensive.
I would like to know if there is a way i can fight for these unfair changes in the policy. Kindly help with your suggestions. I have proofs that some of the people who traveled before Nov 2013 had availed all the benefits but now IBM is not allowing anyone to avail these benefits . Kindly help.