Employee quits on the very first day of work after boss ridicules how he spent his time outside of work

How long can you endure a toxic workplace culture until you make up your mind to send that resignation letter? For a techie from Karnataka, India, who goes by u/Old-Ad169 on Reddit, a single day at his new office was all it took to decide it was better to put down his papers and leave. He had a special reason for sharing his story with the world. "Toxic work culture isn’t worth compromising your health and self-respect," he explained in a post where he called out his toxic boss. A screenshot of his scathing resignation email withheld the names of the employee, boss and organization but mentioned that the employee had joined the company as an associate product designer.

"After reflecting on recent events that unfolded on my first day of work, I must convey that our professional alignment does not seem to match. Specifically, I find your approach towards work expectations and personal boundaries seriously concerning," the email read. The man further wrote about how the boss had repeatedly made remarks about his activities outside of work hours and he felt it was inappropriate and unprofessional. Whatever he decides to do outside of work hours shouldn't be subject to criticism from his boss. He also mentioned how his boss wanted him to submit the assigned work in under 48 hours and work outside the designated hours without compensation. The employee pointed out in his letter that the company did not even have a policy for overtime pay.

"Lastly, your behavior during our last interaction, particularly scolding me, was unacceptable," the email continued. "I will not tolerate being subjected to such treatment. I believe it would be best for you to find another person who is willing to meet your expectations in the manner you desire. I hope you understand my decision as I prioritize both professionalism and respect in my work relationships." He also challenged his boss to publicly share records of their conversation on Slack so others could judge whether the boss's conduct was appropriate or not. 

The sender of the email, whose name was revealed to be Shreyas, also updated the Reddit community with the response he received from the employee after parting ways with them. "Trying to close the gap between what was said and what was understood by both sides is not fruitful in this situation when there is a clear consensus on parting ways," the email from the employer read. The employer wished him luck in his future endeavors and informed him that his one day's worth of salary would be cleared by the accounts department. People in the comments section spoke in favor of Shreyas and applauded his decision to quit.

u/Can-i-get-a-hooooyah revealed, "I also interviewed for this company and the HR gave me the assignment to work on their own product. I straight up declined and asked HR to withdraw my application! The company is a Bangalore-based company!" u/OptimistPrime7 wrote, "Drag the company through the mud and post about it on social media if you’re comfortable doing so. This is predatory behavior, and in any other country, they would face multiple lawsuits for it." u/Consistent_Duty5622 added, "That is a mature response but again we know it’s not him but rather his legal team talking, regardless good legal team I guess."