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The intern claimed that his Indian boss frequently criticises him and his work, even going as far as threatening his job and undermining everything he does.
An Indian boss recently abused a 21-year-old intern over a ‘minor error’ in a draft. (Representative image)
A 21-year-old intern took to social media to share his experience of being bullied at the hands of his toxic boss over the smallest of errors in his work. In a Reddit post, he revealed that his boss recently called him an “a**hole” over a “minor error” he made in a draft.
The intern, frustrated and unsure of what to do next, asked the Reddit community whether he should escalate the issue to his boss’s boss – the Vice President – or simply endure it until he finds another job.
“I’m 21M, a fresh graduate who recently joined a corporate consultancy (Not the Big ones but Big) firm about a month and a half ago. I’m completely new to this field and currently in my internship period, which is expected to last for the first three months here,” the intern wrote on Reddit’s “IndianWorkplace” community.
Read| Mental Health Company Fires Employee for Liking ‘Toxic Workplace’ Post on LinkedIn
The post that carries the tag of “workplace toxicity” further reads, “Yesterday, while I was presenting a draft of my work to my boss, he pointed out a minor error and reacted harshly, saying: ‘Which mth3r fck**g a$$hole did this?’”
He then shared what his boss said next: “I’m sorry for my language, but it’s really inefficient for me to repeat the work I used to do in my initial days, two decades ago.”
The Redditor, who goes by “fuxk_veggies”, called it a final straw. “To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I’m genuinely frustrated and this isn’t the first time. He regularly takes jabs at me, and my work, even threatens my job and everything I do. But, this was the last straw.”
“Would it be reasonable to ask to be assigned to a different team or perhaps a different branch? Or should I just endure it and wait it out till I jump companies?” he turned to the online community for advice, expressing concern over the “potential consequences” of bringing up the issue with the VP.
He further explained his worries, saying, “The reason I’m so worried is that I had the opportunity to join a wonderful university abroad, but I was eager to gain work experience and try for even better universities in the future. So, I had to convince my parents to let me come here and support me financially until I secure a permanent position here,” adding that his boss has been “threatening his job” and the ongoing toxic environment is making it even harder for him to cope.
“Going back home isn’t an option for me… I don’t want to disappoint them [parents] or make them think I made the wrong decision,” he concluded his Reddit post on an emotional note.
Take a look at the entire post here:
What did Reddit advise him?
“No, bro. Don’t be quiet on this stuff. This is the kind of behaviour they get away with only because no one calls them out on it,” said an individual.
Another suggested, “Complaint it to HR, If they don’t listen, go a level higher. Even if they don’t take any action go the legal route.”
“When such things happen, handle it there, say that you did not like it and ask for an apology or not to use such language in future. Or start using such language on the floor and if anybody objects just say that your manager uses it. Point it as others pointed out, the office is full of such people. Learn to stand up for yourself, worst you get fired, takes 2 to 6 months max for another job,” a third expressed.
