Toxic Workplaces Can Destroy Mental Health: Reddit User Shares Horrid Experience On 'First IT Job'
He mentioned that the company never officially accepted his resignation and didn't give him an experience letter.
Not having a healthy workplace can adversely affect your mental well-being. This is exactly what happened to a young software professional when he joined his first job.
Recalling his experience at a Singapore-based company, he said, "My first IT job broke me—and taught me what 'toxic' really means."
Sharing an incident on Reddit, the techie said that he joined a company near Mahadevapura, Bengaluru, around July 10 as an associate developer. "For a fresher in 2023, it seemed like a decent deal - 5-6 LPA in a market where most were getting less. The first few weeks were okay. I was hopeful, learning, and trying to make the most of it," he added.
But he revealed that the situation got worse after training started. He said the instructor would randomly threaten people, saying things like, "I can terminate three people if I want."
"One day, I calmly told her that this kind of behaviour wasn’t right — and that’s when everything changed. From that moment on, I became her target," he wrote, adding that even when others made mistakes after that, the instructor would still blame him, saying, "This happened because of you."
He also shared a screenshot of his chat with his manager on Google Hangouts, where he asked his manager to treat him like a fresher and not an experienced professional, as he is new and still learning. He pointed out that he has theoretical knowledge but lacks practical, hands-on experience.
"These things are new to me. Yeah, I have read many things but haven't did any practical real world implementation and I am trying my best to get to know everything... and if you feel that I'm not capable of these things and won't be able to learn.. just tell me I will resign or else please help me like a fresher not like a experienced one," he wrote.
He considered resigning immediately but decided to stay, hoping the situation would improve once he started working on projects. "After three months of training, I got assigned to a team. But the environment was already so mentally draining that even small issues started feeling heavy," the Redditor mentioned.
But when he sent his resignation, the HR department refused to accept it, saying that he had signed a two-year bond with them and would have to pay Rs 1.5 lakh to leave the company, he claimed. However, he said that he never signed such a bond and despite that, HR kept threatening him, saying that quitting would "ruin his career" and "affect his chances of higher studies".
"I consulted a lawyer and even reached out to Karnataka labour officials — both confirmed I had every right to resign. So, I did. Returned the laptop, sent my resignation mail, and walked out," the techie revealed.
He mentioned that the company never officially accepted his resignation and didn't give him an experience letter. Meanwhile, the HR person who tried to manipulate him and the trainer who bullied him were both still working there, he stated.
"The trainer who bullied me? Still there, getting a fat paycheck — despite barely knowing how to code and using her phone to copy-paste from Google during training," he claimed.
He further said, "I'm sharing this because I want people to know — toxic workplaces in India are real, and they can destroy your mental health before you even realise it. If you’re in a similar place."
Before concluding the post, the techie advised keeping written proof of all communication, not letting the fear of "career damage" stop anyone from leaving, consulting a lawyer or labour office before paying any money, and remembering that no job is worth losing peace of mind.
