Satyam India employees are tensed about the Jan paycheck

On Thursday, a mail from HR head of Satyam, S V Krishnan, stating that the payroll cycle for mid-January 2009 for US associates would go ahead as

scheduled, couldn't lift spirits of the employees, who were scanning the mail for any mention of associates' salary in India.

Krishnan wrote in his mail, "In addition to relieving concerns of our associates, this news should also be reassuring to many of our customers, who were worried about the impact of the media reports on the morale and productivity of our associates." However, while some employees did agree that US associates getting their fortnight package was encouraging news since it indicated the company had some money, the conspicuous absence of January salary's mention had them worried.

"There is no mention about our salaries anywhere neither in the mail and we do not want such pleasant communications anymore. Tell us in black and white how the company would pay us this month, if at all it can," said a worried senior associate adding that after his colleagues read the mail, they frantically started calling their former colleagues, batchmates from engineering colleges and friends to figure out opening in other firms.

"Office atmosphere is tensed and mood of associates is very low," another employee said. The backslapping, jokes at the office corridors and even crowding around the television sets around the cafeteria have become activities that no

Satyamite seems keen on indulging in. The worried associates say they are preparing themselves for the worst, that is, a blank on January 31 when they are supposed to get their monthly pay cheques.