A Delhi-based video editor took to social media to expose the toxic environment of a startup he had joined in December last year. Rajat, who joined a marketing agency expecting a “relaxed" work culture, found himself dealing with unrealistic demands and an overbearing boss.
It all started when Rajat refused to work over the weekend. His boss, Arman, insisted that he put his refusal in an email and meet him in the office on Monday. When Rajat agreed to send the mail, Arman snapped, “What kind of response is this?"
Rajat even offered to share the project file, but Arman brushed him off, saying he’d get it done without him.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. On February 28, Rajat was assigned a video to edit at 5 PM, which he submitted by 5:55 PM.
Even after clocking out at the official closing time of 7:30 PM, Rajat’s workday was far from over. At 8:30 PM, revision requests started rolling in. When he stood his ground, stating that he doesn’t work on weekends, the CEO didn’t take it well. He demanded a meeting on Monday, likely to force him to resign.
Rajat even shared screenshots of their WhatsApp conversation on social media. At 8:29 PM, a team member dropped a message saying that the reel they need to post tomorrow has feedback and needs to be edited. The boss, Arman, chimed in with, “The jealous boyfriend one."
To this, Rajat responded, “Hey, Arman. I won’t be able to take this up as I don’t work on weekends. I can share the project file. Let me know if that works."
Another employee then explains the order of the clips.
Responding to Rajat’s message, Arman said, “Are you serious? Send me an email saying exactly this, Rajat, and see me first thing on Monday."
“Okay, I will do that," replied Rajat. But instead of letting it go, Arman lashed out, “What kind of response is this?"
Rajat calmly reiterated that he had been clear about his work boundaries since joining and was willing to share the project file so someone else could take over.
“Wow. Simply wow. N, it’s fine. We’ll get it done without you," replied Arman.
Social media users reacted to the now-viral WhatsApp conversation. “This is not the way you treat your employees or anyone. Very disrespectful," said one LinkedIn user.
Another added, “Toxic agency culture at its finest."
“Another classic case of 'work-life balance' being just a buzzword on the careers page," shared a third.
A fourth wrote, “WOW this is on another level unprofessional, especially in a group chat. I’m in awe!"
Someone on Reddit expressed, “CEO sounds like a wanker. The wow, simply wow ' also makes it seem like he might go home and throw a tantrum because Arman at the office didn’t do the demon’s bidding."
