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Employee happy with European team criticises Indian HR over work from home row: ‘Pushed me to…'

An employee from India who worked with a European-based team and manager accused the company's Indian HR of promoting a toxic workplace culture.

Updated on: May 1, 2025, 09:08:33 IST
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An employee working with a European company has claimed that the organisation’s “friendly” environment is being ruined and becoming toxic due to the “Indian work culture.” The worker further accused the company's Indian HR of denying the work from home option when necessary.

An employee’s post slamming an Indian HR resonated with many. (Unsplash/studiorepublic)
An employee’s post slamming an Indian HR resonated with many. (Unsplash/studiorepublic)

“Indian work culture is destroying the employee friendly European work policies,” a Reddit user wrote. In the following few lines, the individual explained more about the statement. The employee talked about having a “flexible 8-hour shift, hybrid (4 days office a week).”

Also Read: HR manager creates 22 fake employees, logs perfect attendance for over 8 years to steal 18 crore

“My team is small, and all of them are based in Europe, except me. I just sit in the India office and work remotely from there. I don't mind that because the office is a happening place. Recently, I got a bad sprain in my foot and have to stay home for 2 weeks as the Metro commute isn't feasible. I took leaves for a week and requested my Europe based manager for a one-week work from home for the next week. She was totally on-board with that because my other team members also do the same for no reason at all,” the worker wrote.

What did the Indian HR do?

“The Indian HR was against it and pushed me to take unnecessary leaves instead, which I was saving for something else later this year. Now I'll have a big backlog when I come back. While I'm completely fine and capable of working right now. And since all of my work is remote, it's absurd to not being able to work from home,” the employee claimed.

What did social media say?

An individual posted, “Did you remind the HR that you are not a factory worker?” Another commented, “The best way is to highlight such practices to the EU management. Indian HRs and people who started working before 2014 (not all, just some) are suffering from a donkey mindset, so it's hard for them to come to terms that WFH, employee-centric jobs are a thing now. Honestly, the Indian side of the same organisation treats the onshore team as a service centre, like Team India is still the BPO that existed before.”

Also Read: Indore-based HR explains why 'revenge quitting' is a wake-up call for corporate offices

A third expressed, “In my last three companies (1 MNC and 2 Indian startups), it’s always the manager’s decision, which is final. HR never had a say in all these things, especially in small teams. All I had to do was be a little assertive and stand my ground that I want WFH over leave.”

A fourth wrote, “Indian HR is useless - and if this is what they're up to, no wonder my applications are going unanswered. They're completely a cost centre without any value. Just tell HR your work commitments are important and not to be compromised. As one German told me - 'My body is injured but my mind is fine'. Just type and send that to HR.”

The post was shared on a subreddit called “Indian Workplace.” It is a space for Indian employees to share the good, bad, and ugly of their workplaces.

  • Trisha Sengupta
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Trisha Sengupta

    Trisha Sengupta works as Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of experience in the digital newsroom. Known for her ability to decode the internet’s most talked-about moments, she specialises in high-engagement storytelling that bridges the gap between viral trends and traditional journalism. Throughout her tenure, Trisha has focused on the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. She frequently covers personal finance and real estate struggles in hubs like Gurgaon, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, while also documenting the unique challenges of the NRI experience. Her work often highlights the movements and philosophies of global newsmakers and personalities like Elon Musk, Mukesh Ambani, Nikhil Kamath, Dubai crown prince, and MrBeast. From reporting on Amazon or Meta layoffs and startup culture to the emergence of AI-driven platforms like Grok and xAI, she provides a grounded and empathetic perspective on the stories shaping our world. When not decoding the internet, Trisha is likely offline: lost in a book, exploring a historical ruin, or navigating the world as a solo traveler. She balances her fast-paced career with family time and a healthy dose of curiosity, currently trading her "human" sources for silicon ones as she masters AI to future-proof her storytelling.Read More

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