Chapter 17:
"Are you three fully hell bent on destroying the company that I have built over last three decades?" Dileep Khurana's voice was deadly calm. No one answered him.
"Why didn't the alliance between Deshmukh and you didn't take off?" He asked Maan.
"Board voted against the deal," Maan said shrugging casually. Dileep Khurana scowled.
"Didn't you know that you should first get an approval…?"
"Please don't treat me like an idiot father." Maan interjected. "Board had approved of the notion and so did Varun. We had drawn up contracts which were in best interest of both the parties and Deshmukh's legal department also had approved it. All that was left was a formal notion to pass where Varun and Deshmukh would sign formally and take loads of pictures."
Dileep Khurana stood up and sighed. He knew that Vikram and Mitalee were fiercely competitive but he didn't expect that they were this vindictive. But then again they were his children; in his prime he was ten times worse than what his children were. He hated seeing his children fighting against each other. He didn't expect them to be chummy but at least he didn't want them plotting each others ruin whenever they crossed paths.
"What changed?" He asked.
"Their minds," Maan said smiling. "I particularly don't care why the board members changed their minds at the last minute or why Varun nullified the contract between him and me at the last minute. There was something else that I wanted to discuss with you as COO of two of the companies of Khurana Group with the Chairman and in presence of other CEOs." He said looking straight at his father who had his back against his children.
"What is it about?"
"I am proposing a new compensation and benefit strategy for Khurana Electricals and Khurana Heavy Transport." Maan said and sat back. Dileep slowly turned around. Mitalee and Vikram looked at each other.
"Why?" Mitalee asked.
"Thanks to previous management and our colossal failure to hold on to a decent account, we are losing people in great numbers. Attrition is at eleven percent and employee morale is now moving towards abyss. Our main problem may be lacking a vast customer base but losing out good performers is catching up. To an extent I am actually glad that Deshmukh deal didn't work." Maan replied.
"Why not?" Varun asked. He wasn't happy the way Maan had targeted him in front of their father.
"We wouldn't have been able to staff for operations."
"Why aren't you hiring?" Dileep Khurana finally asked. Maan gave him a dumb look and stared hard at his father – Do you take me for a moron?
"Our compensation scheme is pathetic. Even I wouldn't join this company," Maan spat. There was silence for several moments.
"And to top it all, we have outstanding invoices from customers." Maan said relaxing in. The whole point of this conversation was to bring to Dileep's notice the way cash freely flowed between the companies. While one company continued to plummet, the other flourished.
Dileep Khurana looked at Maan with the smallest element of surprise.
"Capital transfer." Maan said and looked directly at Vikram. Vikram was spluttering in anger. The senior Khurana knew that it was one of those battles which had to be resolved between the people partaking in it. It would be unwise if he used his power as a Chairman to pass a judgment.
Before Vikram could erupt he asked, "What is your proposal with respect to compensation and benefits?" Maan was taken aback with his father's apathy. He was hoping that he would either help or condone Vikram but Dileep Khurana had chosen the neutral path. Maan clenched his jaw in anger.
When Maan didn't say anything Dileep asked again. "Maan?" Maan looked up from floor and forcibly relaxed himself - Calm down. He breathed deeply and leaned forward as his father took a seat next to him.
"Unlike most of our competitors our compensation structure consists of 40% of variable component."
"That's true across the group," Vikram interjected.
"I know. I am merely stating the facts. I understand that by making 40% of an employee's salary as variable meaning 40% of the salary depends on the profit, company performance in market etc. By doing so we are shifting risks of losses on employees more than the company in itself. In a quarter if we do not reach the percentage growth we had originally estimated for, we simply reduce the overall variable pay budget thus making employees take the burden of it all. And I don't think it's fair for them given how it's purely mismanagement and total anarchy that has led to this state." Maan didn't care about the implication of it all. His father was as guilty as Vikram if not more. Varun was a mere pawn that everyone used as per their own whims.
"You little shit…" Vikram started. Dileep Khurana looked at Vikram which earned him silence. Vikram muttered incoherently and poured himself bourbon.
"What do you plan to do about it?" Dileep asked.
"Reduce the variable pay to 20%."
"What the f**k are you talking about?" Vikram yelled first. Mitalee, to his surprise, wasn't participating in the conversation. She was nonchalant about the whole thing and was watching the proceedings with little interest.
"Will your problems will be solved with this approach?" Dileep asked masking his disbelief.
"No, it will not. But it will help me retain our employees." Maan shrugged. Mitalee chuckled. Maan turned and looked at her. Mirth was still evident in her eyes.
"Your naivety is really cute." She said as if she was talking to a five year old Maan. Dileep cleared his throat which made Maan turn and look at him.
"I don't think it's going to work Maan. I will arrange for capital injection within end of next week. That should be enough to give you a breather, right?" He said giving back the folder to Maan. Maan sighed deeply knowing that he would never get an approval for the changes he was requesting for. Vikram looked happy with the outcome and he blatantly showed it.
"End of next week would be fine father," Maan said softly. Dileep Khurana nodded and felt a tiny twinge of happiness for being helpful to his youngest.
Dileep looked at his four children as they walked out of his study. He knew that there was something brewing between Vikram and Maan seeing how there was a visible tension between them. Mitalee surprisingly had taken a step back. Either that or she was assessing her opponents and filing their decisions for further analysis.
Maan sat in his car and took out his phone.
"It's me," he said on the phone. "There is going to be capital injection to Khurana Electrical and Khurana Heavy Transport. Red flag the source which is wiring the money, will you? Once the transfer is done give me the details. Be discreet." Maan hung up the phone once he finished giving out the instruction.
He was surprised how easily his father had offered to bail him out. He had offered a ludicrous idea which he knew no one would agree to. He wanted exactly that.
He only wanted to know how Dileep Khurana managed to bail out his children whenever they were in deep mess. From where did such huge funds come from?
To be continued.
Music companion for the day: Gangsta's paradise by Coolio featuring L.V
Originally posted by: Boogleton.Schiz
Is it just me or is it super weird how Maan says 'father'? 😆
comment:
p_commentcount