- Gen Z employee left work 10 minutes early and was contacted by CEO immediately
- Employee highlighted double standards in break times among staff and management
- Delayed reimbursements of 17 days for work expenses caused additional frustration
A Gen Z employee shared their experience with micromanagement at a new job, sparking an online debate about workplace culture. Sharing the incident in a Reddit post, the employee said that they left the office just 10 minutes before the official end of the workday, only to receive a direct message and a phone call from the company's CEO. The employee also raised concerns over 'double standards' within the organisation. While managers often take hour-long breaks and colleagues step away for 30 minutes without issue, the new hire noted that they rarely take a proper break during the day.
"The manager disappears for hour-long breaks and nobody says a word. Other people take 30-minute breaks too. I don't even take a proper break, and the one day I leave a little early, I get a call and a text," the employee wrote while sharing a screenshot of the conversation.
Adding to the tension is a history of delayed payments. The worker revealed that the company previously forced them to cover work expenses out of their own pocket and then delayed reimbursement for 17 days, despite constant follow-ups.
Also read | "Simple Act of Humanity": Man Thanks Mumbai Metro Strangers For Returning Lost Phone
See the post here:
My CEO Texted Me for Leaving 10 Minutes Early
by u/InformalViolinist748 in TwentiesIndia
Additionally, their supervisor pressured them to bring on an unpaid social media intern, warning that if they failed to recruit someone to work without pay, the employee would be forced to handle all video production and create all the company's social media content themselves.
"As a Gen Z, this feels so weird," the user wrote, adding that full-time corporate life has proven significantly tougher and more chaotic than expected.
Also read | "Silence Is Killing Me": Job Seeker Claims Company Ghosted Them After 5 Rounds, Seeks Career Advice
Social media reactions
The post quickly gained traction on social media, with many users pointing out major red flags in the workplace environment. "I remember I was in an unpaid internship and that company did nothing, just made us sit from 10 to 7. Since I commuted from far away, it felt like an 8-to-8 shift. One day I left 10 minutes early and the guy said 'you need to learn corporate hours.' I said 'screw off,' wrote an application to reduce my hours, and started leaving at 4 PM," one user shared.
"Get an outside offer and leave this toxic place. Some attention-seeking kiss-up might have reported you to him," another user suggested.
"Don't take a company seriously if they focus more on your timings than your work. Just stay long enough to gain experience, and as soon as you get a good offer, leave," advised a third user.
