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‘Don’t ghost after salary’: IIM-educated Mumbai founder’s rant on employees quitting after payday sparks backlash
A Mumbai founder said he used to disburse salaries among his employees on the 10th of every month, but in 2023, he changed the date to the 1st.
A LinkedIn post by the founder of Go Zero has sparked outrage online after he criticised employees who resigned shortly after receiving their salaries. The IIM-educated Mumbai entrepreneur, Kiran Shah, said he changed the payday date for his employees from the 10th of every month to the 1st. His post, besides being labelled as “tone deaf” by many, sparked outrage among people.
“I used to give salaries on the 10th of the next month. A lot of startups I know do the same. Some even give on 15th of the next month. I realised this causes a lot of inconvenience to the team who has outgoings in the 1st week. From December 2023, I changed the salary payment date to 1st of every month,” he wrote on LinkedIn, adding his reason behind this shift.
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“And while most of them are exceptionally loyal towards the mission, there are an unfortunate few who misuse this and resign the moment we credit the salary on 1st and don't show up to work the next day. This has happened yesterday, the 4th incident overall since I moved the salary processing from 10th to 1st,” Shah continued.
He assured that the incidents would not affect his decision to change the payday, adding, “If I start penalising the entire team for a couple of such dumb folks, then it puts a question mark on the culture I am building at GZ.”
“However, to all the folks out there - don't ghost your employer once you get the salary. If you are not happy with the work or remuneration or boss or founder or colleagues or location or any damn thing, have a communication with your manager. Or even the founder - I am super approachable to anyone in the org. But do it in a professional way that doesn't burn bridges,” he advised the employees.
Social media slams founder:
An individual posted, “Receiving salaries on time is the right of every employee. Most startups these days exploit employees by expecting them to work extra hours in light of the 'hustle culture' and still not receiving their salaries. Such startups need to have proper HR processes in place. The problem is much bigger than setting up a credit date.”
Another added, “Kiran Shah, the employee can leave on the 11th as well (considering your earlier salary disbursement of the 10th). I'm not sure how that helps in retention. Some companies somehow feel they do a favour if they disburse salary on 1st. Let's wake up and smell the coffee. It's been done for ages now, and in the case of MNCs, it's the last working day of the month. Focus more on reasons why the employees are absconding and fix those.”
A third expressed, “I’ve always upheld the 5th of each month as the salary payout date, without deviation, since the beginning—even while being bootstrapped. For me, it’s about responsibility and trust. If someone has worked for you through the month, regardless of performance or other factors, paying them is not a favour—it’s your obligation. Whether someone chooses to stay or leave is their decision, but consistency and fairness in how we treat people shouldn’t waver. Frankly, if salary dates become a point of negotiation or uncertainty, it reflects a culture of insecurity—which is far more concerning to me.”
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A fourth wrote, “I would never work at a company that pays later than 1st. My past employers used to pay on the 25th of the same month.”
According to his LinkedIn bio, Shah completed his undergraduate degree at DJ Sanghvi College of Engineering. He then pursued a Postgraduate Diploma from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
