- An employee earning Rs 23,000 faced criticism for sleeping after a full workday
- The startup called the behavior unprofessional and questioned the employee’s mother
- The incident sparked debate about toxic work culture and blurred personal boundaries
An employee earning Rs 23,000 a month has triggered a fierce debate about the toxic work environment in startups after the company blurred the lines between professional and personal boundaries. In a social media post titled, "My startup questioned my professionalism because I slept after working all day. Need advice." the young employee detailed that after completing the 9-6 shift, he went to sleep and missed an unscheduled 2 AM deadline call, only for the bosses to lecture after his mother, who picked up the call.
The startup aggressively questioned the mother as to why her child was sleeping during a “full-time role” whilst labelling the behaviour as highly unprofessional.
"Since I was asleep, my phone kept ringing continuously. My mother eventually answered the call because the ringing wouldn't stop," the user wrote in a Reddit post.
"Instead of simply asking where I was, they told my mother that this is a full-time role, asked how I could be sleeping, and said it was a sign of unprofessionalism."
Highlighting the incident made them 'uncomfortable,' the employee said, expecting someone to stay awake well into the night was 'inappropriate'.
"Expecting someone to stay awake until 2 AM after already working a full office day, and then making those comments to my mother when she happened to answer the group call, felt inappropriate."
Check The Post Here:
My startup questioned my professionalism because I slept after working all day. Need advice.
by u/Jatt855 in StartUpIndia
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Social Media Reactions
As the post gained traction, the majority of social media users advised the individual to immediately quit the role as he was not valued by the company.
"Leave with very good professional lectured email tagging HR and CEO. Leave on immediate notice," said one user while another added: "What kind of role are you looking for? I'm sure we can all leverage our connections to help you find your next gig in a less toxic place."
A third commented: "Simple response, you pay me 23k a month for x hrs of work. Anything above that is unpaid overtime. Unless you are paying me overtime, I will utilise my personal time anyway that I want."
A fourth said: "Tell them Iam ready to work beyond working hours if you compensate with double the hourly salary or find someone else."
