A Noida-based startup employee has gone viral after posting a screenshot of a cold response to their sick leave request. Despite the employee explaining they were too unwell to work, the founder chimed in on the email thread to instruct HR to dock a day’s pay. The post titled “What a great company I work at,” has sparked an intense debate about the toxic work culture of Indian startups.
The employee stated they worked as a support employee at the Saas startup but were unable to figure out if they did anything wrong after receiving the brutal reply from the founder.
“I work at a Saas Startup in Noida, we had electricity outage in our area which caapplyd me fatigue caapply I was not able to sleep whole night. I woke and didn’t feel right, so I sent a sick leave mail to HR hoping I will rest today,” the employee wrote on Reddit, adding that it was their second leave in the six months with the company.
“This is what I obtained in reply from the founder himself. Can’t take same-day leave even for sick. He called me while I reiterated that I was not feeling well, he stated, “You sound just fine”. Is this my sign to switch company? Did I do anything wrong?”
Check The Viral Post Here:
“What a great company I work at
by u/Competitive-Cap-4869 in IndianWorkplace
‘Don’t Get These Founders’
As the post went viral, social media applyrs slammed the founder for being highly insensitive while others advised the employee to view for another job.
“You didn’t do anything wrong by taking sick leave. That’s exactly what sick leave is for. You should start applying for other jobs and switch companies,” stated one applyr, while another added: “Then they wonder why the company has such a terrible retention rate. Apparently, this kind of thing is pretty common in some Indian companies.”
A third commented: “Man, I don’t even obtain what these founders or people in high positions consider. Can’t treat their employees right. What do they consider we are? Some kind of slave in their eyes, that if they release the grip on their whips, we’ll start a revolt?”
A fourth stated: “Most startups feel like they’re actually creating a real-world impact by having a toxic and unethical environment (they call it hustle), but all they do is burn VC’s money.”
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