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HR Manager: “Your salary will be delayed until next month.” Employee: “Sorry, what? Why?” HR Manager: “There’s an issue with payroll. Management is aware.” Employee: “But my salary was supposed to come in today. I have bills to pay.” HR Manager: “I understand, but there’s nothing I can do.” Employee: “Can I at least get something in writing?” HR Manager: “We’ll send an email when everything is sorted.” The employee returned to his desk, disappointed. He had been counting on that salary to pay his rent, clear a loan, and send money to his family. Three days later, his manager called him into the office. Manager: “Why haven’t you completed the new project?” Employee: “I’ve been working on it, sir.” Manager: “Then why are you asking for an advance?” Employee: “Because my salary hasn’t been paid.” Manager: “That’s not an excuse. Everyone is working despite the situation.” Employee: “I understand, sir. But I have responsibilities outside this office.” Manager: “We all do. I expect the project to be completed by Friday.” The employee nodded and returned to his desk. That evening, he received an email from HR. Subject: Salary Payment Update “Please be informed that salary payments have been temporarily delayed due to administrative issues.” He saved the email. The following morning, he received another message from his manager. Manager: “I need you to attend a meeting with HR at 10 a.m.” He had no idea what the meeting was about. When he arrived, HR was already waiting. HR Manager: “We’ve received a complaint about your attitude toward management.” Employee: “My attitude?” HR Manager: “You’ve been asking too many questions about your salary.” Employee: “I’ve only asked when I’ll be paid.” HR Manager: “You need to understand that the company is going through a difficult period.” Employee: “I do understand. But I still have bills to pay.” Manager: “We need people who are committed to the company.” Employee: “I’ve been working without my salary for three weeks.” Manager: “And we appreciate that.” Employee: “Then why am I being called here instead of being paid?” Nobody answered. HR Manager: “We’ll discuss this further.” The employee left the meeting wondering how asking for his own salary had become a disciplinary issue. But the following Monday, something happened that changed everything. His manager called him into the office again. Manager: “We need to talk about your performance.” Employee: “What about it?” Manager: “You’ve failed to meet several targets.” Employee: “Which targets?” Manager: “We’ll go through them in the meeting.” The employee opened his notebook. He had been keeping records of every missed payment, every email, and every instruction. He knew something was wrong. And this time, he was prepared.