Resilience at Work: My Journey Through Chaos and Courage

I was hired as a Relationship Manager just before COVID hit. My job was to coordinate between US-based recruiters and candidates, ensuring smooth scheduling and submissions to clients. It was demanding, with night shifts and erratic salary payments — but in a world suddenly turned upside down, I clung to the opportunity, hoping things would get better.

When hiring froze during the pandemic, the company abruptly pivoted to building an HR CRM product. With no real clarity and fewer options in the job market, I was promised a promotion — a promise that kept me going despite the mounting chaos.

What followed were long, meaningless calls, often stretching for hours with no real direction. After this, we were expected to log our "productivity" on Jira, even though none of it felt like progress. The environment turned toxic, and the pressure was relentless. Over time, it wasn’t just bad management — it turned into verbal abuse.

Despite financial burdens and EMIs looming over me, I made the hardest decision I’ve ever taken: I chose myself. I walked away without another job in hand — because no role, no paycheck, is worth your mental health.

It was painful. But it was also the beginning of reclaiming my self-worth. That experience didn’t break me — it shaped me. It taught me that resilience is not just about surviving hard times; it's about knowing when to walk away.

- Fatema Electricwala-Menezes