'Don't come to the office from Monday': Employee reveals how 6 months of hard work ended in job loss

Economic Times

3 days ago

Synopsis
An employee was allegedly terminated after refusing to work Saturdays, despite initial agreement. The worker cited personal commitments, including NGO volunteer work, as a reason for declining weekend work. Prior to this, the employee faced challenges with demanding clients and outdated technology, leading to frustration and workflow delays.
iStock The High Price of Saying No to Saturday Work in Indian Offices An employee has shared an upsetting experience online, alleging they were abruptly let go from their job—not due to underperformance or unprofessional conduct, but simply because they declined to work on Saturdays. Posting anonymously on the subreddit Indian Workplace, the worker recounted the series of events that led to the termination.According to the post, the individual had been employed at the agency for approximately six to eight months. Initially, the work environment seemed manageable. However, things began to shift around March 2025 when a colleague resigned. The departing employee's responsibilities—primarily managing clients—were handed over to the Reddit user.
One of the first major hurdles was dealing with demanding clients. The worker described them as excessively critical, pointing out every minor design flaw as though the work was being created for their personal use rather than for their end customers. This persistent nitpicking, they explained, became a significant source of frustration.The second challenge arose from the fact that the company's designer was working on a computer that was nearly 15 years old. This outdated equipment frequently caused technical issues, slowing down the design process. Despite explaining the situation to their boss, the employee was met with dismissive remarks. The manager allegedly insisted that such issues only caused negligible delays—seconds rather than hours—accusing the employee of making excuses.Over time, a new demand emerged: the boss began insisting on Saturday work. Citing a downturn in the market and difficulties securing new clients, management stressed the importance of client satisfaction. Initially, the employee agreed to work from home on Saturdays, coordinating between the designer and clients to ensure project completion. However, the extra workload eventually became exhausting.The employee explained that they rarely went into the office on Saturdays, as weekends were dedicated to personal commitments, including volunteer work with an NGO. The boss, however, maintained that any pending tasks must be completed—even if it required working on both Saturdays and Sundays. According to the employee, client satisfaction took precedence over any personal obligations.The situation came to a head when the worker received a message on a Sunday morning stating they need not return to the office from Monday onward, as their priorities were 'different' from the company's."I got the message on a Sunday morning saying that I need not come to the office from Monday cause my priorities are different from his..." he wrote. Responses from fellow Reddit users were mixed. Some sympathized, arguing that weekend work should only be required in exceptional cases and, even then, should remain optional with overtime pay. Others noted that while the employee's frustrations with clients were understandable, paying clients have the right to expect high attention to detail.
Another commenter saw the firing as a reflection of typical Indian workplace practices, suggesting that the employer might have been looking for a reason to replace the worker with someone less experienced and cheaper. They assured the employee that, in the long run, leaving the company could prove beneficial and offered to share any job leads that came their way.