- Indian techie worked for an Indian MNC earning Rs 30 LPA with RSUs before joining a foreign firm as contractor
- He faced toxic behaviour and abuse from his manager after initial praise and a 10% contract renewal hike
- Manager removed overtime pay, denied leave, ridiculed work, and linked criticism to salary before termination
An Indian techie has gone viral after he shared his rollercoaster experience of working with a toxic manager who orchestrated his firing, only for the company to come back and plead for him to return. In a now-viral Reddit post titled, "Terminated from a high-paying job. Now they want me back", the user said he was comfortable working with an Indian MNC, earning Rs 30 LPA with Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), but it all changed when a foreign company hired him as an individual contractor.
"Apparently, I was referred to them by one of the customers I worked for in the product company where I had been working then. I went through the recruitment process and cleared five rounds of interviews," the techie wrote in the r/Indian Workplace subreddit, adding that his manager was Indian, who was initially highly impressed by him.
Working solo on a critical project, the techie logged 10-hour days, often weekends, but was fairly compensated for overtime. His first office visit abroad cemented a positive relationship with the Indian manager, who praised his work and introduced him to upper management. A contract renewal with a 10 per cent hike followed.
However, this was to be the only peak of their relationship. His manager began nitpicking minor errors, ridiculing his attempts at innovation, and linking criticism to his salary. Overtime pay was removed, leave requests were denied or docked, and the manager's behaviour turned abusive.
"Suddenly, he started pointing those mistakes and started to ridicule me for every small mistake I do or a new thing I try. He also started bringing the topic of my salary in every confrontation. He asked for hourly updates every day and confronted for every small thing."
Despite loving the work and pay, the techie endured three months of toxicity. When the manager attempted to bring one of his known colleagues into the setup, the man refused, leading to further tension. During a meeting with the upper management, the techie presented evidence of the abuse.
In August, the techie received a sudden termination email citing "non-performance". Despite the shock, he completed the notice period professionally, even receiving an appreciation email mid-tenure, but the ordeal dented his mental health, prompting a two-month break.
While the techie was planning to move ahead, he received a call from HR last week, asking if he could rejoin the company. A senior manager also approached him while the HR assured that if he returned, the office work culture would be different.
Check the viral post here:
Terminated from a high paying job. Now they want me back
byu/Winter_Ad_228 inIndianWorkplace
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'Go but demand...'
As the post went viral, the majority of social media users advised the developer to only return if certain preconditions were met.
"Get yourself a parachute in case things go wrong. As someone already suggested a 6-month pay should be good. Oh do not forget the hike for all the humiliation that came your way because of your Manager's non-professional behaviour," said one user, while another added: "Join back with the condition that you will no longer work with the same manager or you won't report to him."
A third commented: "Join but he will not be your manager and ask for a 6-month severance baked in. If they ask why, state the unethical practices of that idiot. See what Michael did when he came back to Dunder Mifflin. Charles has to go."
