Man Lists 3 "Toxic Things" That Are Normalised In Indian Workplaces, Sparks Debate

Vijay Chandola, a career coach and an IIM alumnus, has listed three workplace habits that get treated as normal in many Indian offices, but shouldn't be. The viral Instagram post struck a chord online as he appealed to the employees with a blunt message, saying, "They are the problem, not you."

He said staying late, skipping leaves, and answering emails at midnight are often framed as commitment, but in reality, it sets an unsustainable bar and punishes people who maintain boundaries. He said productivity isn't measured by hours logged, and burnout isn't a badge of honour.

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Secondly, he also called out the managers who use hierarchy to shut down feedback, and scream at employees and belittle them in "front of others, making constant comparisons and expecting them to somehow improve their performance by doing that".

Thirdly, he slammed the bosses who question sick leaves, and incessantly call employees when they are on emergency leave.

"Some workplace behaviours have been normalised for so long that many people don't even question them anymore. But shouting at employees, glorifying burnout, and ignoring personal boundaries aren't signs of high performance; they're signs of poor workplace culture," he wrote as the caption of the video.

"We can do better, and we should expect better."

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Watch the video here:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vijay Chandola (@thinksage.in)

Social media reaction

The video resonated with many users, with some even sharing their stories of facing "toxic" behaviour at workplaces. "In my last organisation, my manager asked me to stand in front of the door and stop people who are logging out without completing the targets," one user wrote in the comment section.

"The worst part is if you leave the workplace for any of these reasons, you can't quote this as your reason for leaving to the recruiters or hiring managers. You have to lie or simply sugarcoat your words. You will be penalised for telling the truth... only Raju Rastogi got a job by telling the truth... in the real world, you will be left jobless for having the spine to tell the truth," another user wrote.

"It's legit info. Hope this gets fixed any day soon or in future. We are supposed to trade skills in exchange for money and not our lives," a third user suggested.