‘I Just Wanted Diwali At Home': Indian Woman's WFH Plea At US Firm Ends In Tears
The woman's post drew attention to a common pattern in global work environments where Western holidays are treated with more importance.
A woman working at a global company has opened up about the emotional toll of being denied flexibility during Diwali. Sharing her experience on Reddit, she described how unfair workplace expectations can often ignore the cultural needs of Indian employees.
She works in a hybrid role at an American multinational company. 'I understand at the end of the day we're just cheap labour for them, but god forbid, I believe we'd have some policies that treat us like humans," the user wrote.
'Had A Crying, Sobbing Argument'
In her Reddit post, the woman recalled a meeting with her senior manager that ended in tears. She had planned to work remotely from her hometown during Diwali but was told that someone from the team had to be physically present in the office.
'I had a crying, sobbing, angry argument with my senior manager and asserted I HAD TO GO HOME. It's the ONE time I get to," she wrote.
Her team was already expected to work during the festive week, which she believed should have been a holiday. But being asked to also come to the office made it even harder to accept. 'We've saved leaves and WFHs all year for this," she added.
Eventually, a colleague from her hometown decided to cancel their travel plans to cover office presence, which allowed her to go home. 'So technically this wasn't resolved, someone just sacrificed," she pointed out.
Unequal Importance To Festivals
The woman drew attention to a common pattern in global work environments where Western holidays are treated with more importance. She mentioned how American and European colleagues can easily take extended breaks for spring vacations, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
'But holy s*** if we want the week of Diwali off. And holier sh***** (making that up) if we work from home that week," she wrote.
'Your company truly never cared, never will. Always knew this, but some days are truly frustrating," added.
Reactions Pour In
Her post resonated with many online. In the comment section, some blamed the system while others shared similar experiences.
One user commented, 'It is not you, it is your managers. I am an Indian working in Germany. Our project has a small team in Pune, and the managers always keep proudly proclaiming in the meetings that their team is so dedicated that they can work on weekends and holidays as well."
Another said, 'Well, that's pretty much how things work in Indian MNCs. I do empathise with you, but unfortunately, you won't find any respite here. Everything is 24/7 and #1 priority."
'Most Indian managers' flex is not optimal resource utilisation, execution or timely delivery. Rather, they would flex about all year, round-the-clock deployment of resources, which is a pointless exercise," someone wrote.
'I understand your pain, sister, but stay strong and learn to put yourself first," read another comment.
The conversation around work-life balance continues to be a topic of debate. Earlier in March, an employee expressed frustration on Reddit after their boss reported them to HR for using too many leaves early in the year.
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