For some weeks now, social media has been abuzz with reactions to a viral LinkedIn post by Shantanu Deshpande, CEO of Bombay Shaving Company. In it, the CEO advised freshers to not do ‘rona dhona’ over 18-hour workdays and work ‘relentlessly’ for four-five years at least. The post hit a raw nerve for many interns and young professionals, who slammed the CEO for his tone-deaf comments. Deshpande eventually issued a clarification and then took, what he called, a ‘LinkedIn sabbatical’. Outrage and hate comments aside, the post sparked an important conversation around work-life balance and the unrealistic expectations that companies often have from their employees.
We reached out to young professionals across industries who were irked by the post and had, in the recent past, experienced workplace exploitation. In their stories, these professionals spoke at length about how they were taken advantage of early in their career which eventually had a negative impact on their mental and emotional well-being. For some, it was a bad boss and toxic colleagues. For others, it was long-working hours and Hustle Culture which ruined their career trajectory. Here are some excerpts from the conversations we had:
No Work-Life Balance
Akanksha* got the shock of her life when she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and hypertension at 21 years. A fresher, Akanksha was working as a public relations professional with an MNC and handling six brands alone. “One day, my father was hospitalized due to a cardiac arrest. I kept getting calls from my colleagues when I was in the hospital with him,” she recalls.
Akanksha eventually had a mental breakdown due to working weekends, poor work-life balance and workdays which lasted 12 hours - six hours less than what Deshpande suggested in his LinkedIn post.
“The whole time, I felt like I was walking on eggshells. I wasn’t able to speak my truth,” says Akanksha, adding that her job left her with no time for basics like bathing, eating meals and exercising.
Akanksha tried raising her concerns with the HR, but that turned out to be a dead-end. "The HR was not only unresponsive and unapproachable but didn’t care about anyone’s well-being. It was all a facade,” she adds.
All That Glitters Is Not Gold
Shikha*, a media professional, says she had a similar experience when she was a fresher.
“I have a warning for all the young employees and freshers,” Shikha says. “If you see someone on TV and are inspired by them, and wish to work with them someday, please know that it is not that simple.” As a fresher who is trying to break out into the industry and make a name for themselves, it is common to look at the stalwarts of the industry and aspire to work with them. “Working with them is a different ballgame,” Shikha says. “Don’t get enamored by what you see. They are different people when they are your boss.”
After working as a media professional for years, Shikha went on to work as a political consultant for a start-up. She was under the impression that toxic work culture exists only in MNCs. Shikha, much like Akanksha, was in for a shock. “Start-ups are founded by highly driven and passionate people who often expect employees to work round-the-clock. It is okay to expect employees to share your vision, but they have human needs too - the founders must understand this,” she says.
Shikha also shared that many start-ups tend to have an unorganized hierarchy and reporting structure, which makes it harder for freshers to figure out whom to approach with their issues. She also talked about a rather ‘informal’ way of working where things are communicated over text messages at 2 am or 3 am. “I was expected to respond to the texts at odd hours. To top it all, there were working weekends and poor work-life balance.” In small organizations, Shikha claims, “everything - leaves, time off and work-life balance - are only on paper”.
Resignation Rejected
Toxicity, however, is not just limited to the PR and media industry. It is also prevalent in IT and banking.
Rohan*, 23, landed his dream job as a product manager with a reputed bank. He was all set to leave his mark in the industry, but Covid played spoilsport. Soon, before Rohan was scheduled to join the company, a lockdown was put in place. “From orientation to introduction with teammates - everything was on Zoom call. I wasn’t well-acquainted with my colleagues and my mentor," he says. Rohan also shared that his mentor told him she didn’t want him to make errors - which he says is a reasonable expectation. “In my case though, my mentor had severely reprimanded me earlier for making a mistake. I was so afraid of messing up in future that it added to my anxiety which instead led to more inadvertent errors,” Rohan says. “I decided to put in my papers within four months. I would cry on video calls with my parents who were in my hometown and couldn't visit me due to Covid,” he adds.
When Rohan tried to quit, his resignation was rejected. “They weren’t accepting it. I pushed back hard and they accepted it - but asked me to pay them for my notice. They called it ‘Advanced Privileged Leave’ - I wasn’t really sure if the grounds were valid but to avoid arguments, I paid it,” he says.
Akanksha says: “It is inhuman and insensitive to expect 18-hour working days. It is illegal and goes against the labour laws.”
Rohan echoes her thoughts. He adds, “Everyone is asking why Gen-Z is so offended by the post... the post addressed us, the Gen-Z, and diluted our experiences of exploitation.”
*Names changed to protect identities.
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