Gurugram start-up fires employee, ignites online outrage

One Reddit user's viral post about being unceremoniously sacked from a Gurugram startup has generated a fiery online debate. The employee, fired only 20 days after starting work, alleged his company accused him of having an "attitude problem" and not being "down to earth" within a week of starting.

Sharing their experience on the r/Delhi subreddit, the user described how the issues started as early as on their third day when their boss bluntly informed them that they "couldn't work together" because of the employee's so-called attitude.

A Series of Unusual Complaints

Despite being flummoxed by the accusation, the employee promised their manager they would get to work on it. But things went downhill from there. The startup supposedly took umbrage at them having tea breaks with two other new employees, telling them not to have "groups" at work. And then there were complaints about them quitting work on time.

"Me and the other two joinees would sometimes go for tea and smoking breaks together, and all of a sudden my boss had an issue with it. He said to us, 'Don't form groups, it's not good for the company.' Then he began criticizing me for leaving at 7 PM sharp, saying 'this is not good,' even though that was our official closing time. All of this within my first 15 days," the user recounted.

The Breaking Point

By their 20th day, the situation had become bizarre. The director requested that they work out of his cabin rather than their desk for a couple of days. They felt uneasy but did not want to assert themselves, so they agreed. Later at 7 PM, the employee looked outside the cabin to see if a colleague had left—something that immediately irritated their boss.

"I was glancing outside to check if my friend had gone for our daily end-of-day sutta (smoke break), and the director just got irritated. He barked, 'Why are you staring outside when I'm speaking?' and, bang, requested HR to fire me on the spot."

Fighting Back

Later on, the user complained to the labour commissioner and disclosed in an edit that there was yet another new recruit terminated on the same day. No matter how many times they follow up, however, the firm took its own sweet time writing their letter of termination and went on to ask them to appear for a hearing. They had claimed to tape record the dialogue but declined them permission to tape record too while making fun of them.

Though they avoided mentioning the company, they did reveal that it collaborated with coaching centers to supply study materials.

Internet Reacts

The post gained a lot of attention in no time, with people sympathizing with the employee and criticizing the company's toxic work environment. One user said, "Good riddance to bad rubbish," and another referred to it as a "classic example of a toxic workplace."

For now, the employee awaits an update from the Labour Commission, while many online believe they dodged a bullet from what seemed like a sinking ship.