Toxic Work Environment in Bengaluru : A former employee of a reputed life science organisation has recently opened up about the toxic work culture of Silicon Valley – Bengaluru. The ex-employee shared the frustration over the microblogging site Reddit. So, what did this employee go through?
The employee, who was a PH.D. degree holder, who was holding a middle-management role, reporting directly to the CEO, was forced to resign from the organisation, without any offer in hand.
Despite making significant contributions to the company’s growth and reputation, the employee found himself undervalued, underpaid, and overburdened, even after making significant contributions to the company’s growth and reputation.
The frustrated employee joined the company with high hopes. However, his confidence and enthusiasm faded away very soon by what he described as a “pervasive culture of disrespect, mismanagement, and apathy toward employee well-being”.
The employee did not get his full performance bonus despite securing crores of rupees in funding via government grants last year. The worst part – he was given no explanation for why he received less than 75% of what was promised.
The company’s hostile HR department was led by a person who reportedly dismissed and insulted employees publicly for asking basic questions. This further created a culture where open conversation and respectful discourse were impossible.
Moreover, promising reimbursement later, the company expected the employee to make official purchases using his personal credit card. Despite repeated requests, no provision was made for a corporate card or any sanctioned process. Additionally, work-life boundaries were just a dream.
Adding to his core responsibilities, he was given roles far beyond his job description. With this condition, he started to feel that his skills were being exploited.
The company paid talented individuals peanuts salary. Rather than hiring replacements, the company simply redistributed the workload among the remaining employees.
Also, the CEO was known for skipping scheduled meetings. Important presentations and meetings were often handled in an unprofessional, last-minute fashion. Also, the former employee was falsely accused of misconduct and summoned before an investigation committee.