Community › Forums › Legal Advice India › Left a Job After 14 Days – Now HR Is Asking Me to Sign an NDA. What Should I Do?
- This topic has 26 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 2 months ago by
Rupalipanda475.
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RRupalipanda475
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 10:59 am#I joined an MNC BPO (Customer Support) job on **Feb 19, 2024**, due to financial struggles, hoping to work for at least six months (probation period). However, after just three days, I realized I couldn’t handle the night shifts due to severe sleep issues and struggled to perform.
Despite this, I continued working for **14 days**, hoping I would adjust. But my performance kept declining, and I couldn’t focus on my work properly.
# Resignation Process:
On **March 4, 2024** (the 14th day), HR called me and said:
* *”We sent you the appointment letter and induction documents earlier, but you haven’t signed them yet. Please sign them now.”*
At that moment, I realized that I never officially signed the **appointment letter**, meaning I wasn’t bound by any formal contract. I decided to resign via email, explaining:
* I hadn’t signed the appointment letter.
* I was struggling with sleep issues and couldn’t focus on work.
* I didn’t want to waste company resources on training.I expected HR to discuss my options with me, but instead, they **approved my resignation within three hours** and mentioned a **three-month salary penalty** for exit documents.
Later, they claimed they had tried to call me (but couldn’t reach me due to network issues), so they **approved my resignation immediately without discussion**. They also mentioned my last working day as **March 4** in their approval email.
# HR Communication and My Concerns:
At this point, I got really worried that they might demand the three-month salary penalty immediately.
Out of fear, I sent multiple emails on the same day, requesting them to either:
* Take me back, since I couldn’t afford the penalty.
* Let me go without demanding the payment.I also pointed out that:
* They never discussed the penalty before approving my resignation.
* My appointment letter was never signed.
* Yet, they still mentioned the penalty in my resignation approval email.# HR’s Response:
After many emails, they finally responded, saying:
* **No legal case against me.**
* **No blacklisting.**
* **No police case.**However, in a call, they informally mentioned:
* *”We’re not forcing you to pay the penalty, but if you want a clear exit document, the rules say you have to pay.”*
I also requested to be taken back, thinking a **relieving letter** was important for future jobs, but they ignored my emails and never responded to my request to rejoin.
Even after **two weeks at home**, they were still sending me emails daily asking me to sign the **appointment letter and induction documents**, even though my resignation was already approved.
# Update (April 3, 2024) – Exit Documents & NDA Concern:
Yesterday, HR sent me an email confirming:
* If I want exit documents, I must pay a three-month salary penalty.
* Otherwise, they won’t provide them.
* But they also reconfirmed that there will be no legal action, blacklisting, or police case against me.Someone from the company (who understood my situation) and a few people online advised me that **no company will ask for a relieving letter for just 14 days of work**, so I should move on.
However, I now have a new concern.
# HR Sent Me an NDA to Sign – 20 Days After I Left
Today, I received an email from HR asking me to **sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement).**
Key issue:
* The **date on the NDA says March 4, 2024** (my last working day). But they only sent it to me now, almost 20 days after I left.
My concerns:
* Why are they asking me to sign this now, after my resignation was already approved?
* Why does the NDA have a backdated signature area?
* Should I sign this or ignore it?I have been without a job for 20+ days, and suddenly they are sending this NDA out of nowhere.
# My Main Questions:
1. Can they take any legal action against me for not paying the three-month penalty?
2. Will not having a relieving letter cause any issues in future MNC job applications?
3. Can my UAN/EPF record cause problems during background verification?
4. Why are they suddenly sending me an NDA after 20 days? Should I sign it or ignore it?I would really appreciate any legal advice on how to handle this situation. Thank you in advance.
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KKrishnalion405
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 11:31 amMaybe they’re trying to get your sign on a job related document which will be evidence for them that you worked there and left without the 3 months pay penalty but idk I’m NAL -
VVikasknight404
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 12:15 pmIf you didn’t sgn any documents on joining that means you have not joined them officially. So why did you resign from a company that you haven’t even joined? And what documents do you want from them if you are not their employee?-
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 12:24 pmI signed some onboarding forms, about 25 in total(later i check this all know 3month thibgs was mentioned ). During the onboarding process, they mentioned verbaly on first day in office that if we wanted to quit within six months, we would have to pay three months’ salary for a proper exit. I assumed we had already agreed to this when I signed the forms. Now, it seems we cannot quit. Let’s just proceed and avoid quitting
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MMegaprashant4593
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 12:17 pmSince they have confirmed that they will not follow up for the notice buy out, stop the communications. You can never go back to that firm and you cant include them as a former employer, -
VVandanashark196
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 12:54 pmPeople love creating issues out of nothing.You joined a company and want to exit before getting confirmed.
Technically, you have not signed an appointment letter.
But in India Oral agreement are also binding. Plus you did work for a few days, asked to resign and got salary for 6 days. This is enough to prove employee employer relationship.
You asked to be relieved without serving notice and they are letting you go.
They also confirmed that they will no blacklist you or take any action. You should be grateful for that.
Now they are merely asking you to sign a NDA because in the 3 days of your service you must have learnt something about the company, their system/process.
What harm do you foresee if you sign such document?
Is their ask unfair? Or unreasonable? Definitely not.
Just sign the damn NDA and close the chapter.
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RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 3:58 pmI appreciate your perspective, but there are a few key details that seem to be misunderstood:1. **I never refused to serve a notice period.** I assumed HR would discuss my resignation before approving it, but instead, they **approved it overnight (at 12:30 AM on March 5) without informing me.**
2. **I wasn’t aware my resignation was approved** because I was already on my way to the office for my **2 AM shift on March 5.** I **worked for 2 hours** before IT disabled my system and informed me that I had been relieved the day before. HR then asked me to meet them.
3. **HR never mentioned the NDA during my exit.** At that time, they only said:
* *If you want exit documents, pay the 3-month penalty.*
* *If you don’t want to pay, just leave.* I chose to leave.
4. **Now, after a month, they are suddenly sending me an NDA to sign.** The NDA is dated **March 4** (the same day my resignation was approved). If this was a standard process, why wasn’t it given to me earlier?
5. **My biggest concern:** If I sign the NDA now, **can they use it against me?**
* The NDA is backdated to March 4.
* I accessed the system on March 5 because I didn’t know I was relieved.
* If I sign it now, **can they falsely accuse me of unauthorized access on March 5, since the NDA would make it look like I had already exited?****Additionally, if your lawyer can provide legal advice, I’d appreciate their opinion on this situation.** I just want to be sure that signing this NDA won’t cause any legal trouble for me.
Would love to hear from people with legal experience or those who’ve faced a similar situation. Thanks!
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VVandanashark196
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 4:06 pmI am a lawyer.In a NDA, the date of execution doesn’t matter.
The effect date of NDA matters. Which could be back dated. It’s called giving retrospective effect to a document.
Also, you don’t really need exit papers as a 15 day job is not going to count for much and it’s not something you would want to show on your resume either.
There will be no financial implications they merely want to ensure you don’t share any information with others.
Also, it’s just paper formality.
Think of it as satisfying their ego.
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RRupalipanda475
OP
April 5, 2025 at 2:28 amThank you for your advice. I will sign it! I hope that if I sign these, they don’t file a false case against me, dragging me to court for mental pressure. -
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 6, 2025 at 12:05 pmCan I obtain a release letter without paying that amount? Is it possible to negotiate with them to reduce the fee? Although the company is a BPO service-based organization, I need proper exit documents because they are very important for my future job after I complete my degree. I truly appreciate your help with this, as I really need it. I am the first graduate in my family, and I don’t have anyone to advise me. Until now, I have been using ChatGPT, but it has led me into a difficult situation. I need assistance from a real person, like you, a lawyer. I am willing to pay for your services. -
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 6, 2025 at 12:05 pmCan I obtain a release letter without paying that amount? Is it possible to negotiate with them to reduce the fee? Although the company is a BPO service-based organization, I need proper exit documents because they are very important for my future job after I complete my degree. I truly appreciate your help with this, as I really need it. I am the first graduate in my family, and I don’t have anyone to advise me. Until now, I have been using ChatGPT, but it has led me into a difficult situation. I need assistance from a real person, like you, a lawyer. I am willing to pay for your services.
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RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 4:22 pm“My joining date is Feb 19, and my last day is March 4. They should have taken my signature on the NDA before relieving me. But instead, they made me come to work, disabled my computer, and conducted the exit interview. This should have been done before approving the resignation mail. I think they wanted to file a case against me for logging in on March 5.”
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RRupalipanda475
OP
April 6, 2025 at 12:04 pmCan I obtain a release letter without paying that amount? Is it possible to negotiate with them to reduce the fee? Although the company is a BPO service-based organization, I need proper exit documents because they are very important for my future job after I complete my degree. I truly appreciate your help with this, as I really need it. I am the first graduate in my family, and I don’t have anyone to advise me. Until now, I have been using ChatGPT, but it has led me into a difficult situation. I need assistance from a real person, like you, a lawyer. I am willing to pay for your services.
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FFierceumesh807
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 1:13 pmits a BPO ,dont care move onignore them like an toxic ex
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AAnishthinker951
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 2:49 pmWhat is the NDA? Have you read it? What does it say?-
AAaryanrider381
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 3:38 pmpay 1 lakh money
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BBrightthinker9189
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 2:53 pmThey can do nothing if you have not signed the appointment letter yet. They are asking for 3 months salary with zero legal backup as you never joined them legally. You can show this period as blank period as no one can verify anything. Your epf did not start (hope you did not trf EPF account to this co yet), you received no wages yet.No need to sign NDA.
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UUrbanpanda2667
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 3:06 pmIf I was the Lawyer of the company, I would ask you to sign that NDA with the date of 4th March. Then I would make an excuse that you violated this clause of NDA, now pay x amount or go to jail. But if no appointment letter, nda etc is signed, they can’t do anything. You don’t have to pay anything except moving on.-
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 3:10 pmare you lawyer ?-
UUrbanpanda2667
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 3:10 pmYes.-
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 3:19 pmi think i signed NDA on the joining day . what can do now-
UUrbanpanda2667
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 3:43 pmYou need to read the clauses. There will be one clause which will say that confidentiality to be maintained even after expiry of this agreement. This clause is used by companies a lot.-
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 4:04 pmCan I discuss this here, or is it illegal? They filed a case against me.
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RRupalipanda475
OP
April 4, 2025 at 3:11 pmi need some advice they trying to make sign that ?
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RRiyashark69
PARTICIPANT
April 4, 2025 at 5:30 pmIt’s 2025 ig -
QQuickviplav8488
PARTICIPANT
April 5, 2025 at 4:40 amDid you give them your UAN?-
RRupalipanda475
OP
April 5, 2025 at 8:53 amyes
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