An Indian employee working remotely for a United States based startup has described a tense exchange with his American boss, revealing that he even offered to resign after his leave request was turned down.
Leave denied after overtime and stress
The employee wrote on Reddit, “started working for a US based startup from India. My boss is a white male. I developed a medical condition in the first month and my doctors told me it was due to stress. But I wanted to push through and get better by myself.”
He explained that he had been working overtime for weeks, yet when he requested a leave on Tuesday, his boss demanded an explanation and rejected the request when no detailed reason was provided. “The leniency and time off that he mentioned in the text was for diwali (which i let him know a week in advance) I revoked his access from my drive because I was afraid he won't pay me for the work i have done this month and wanted to get that first,” he added.
Confrontation and a candid conversation
The employee said the situation escalated but later improved after a direct conversation. “Anyway, we had a talk after this, I let him know this is not cool, if the concern is projects getting delayed then I would've managed that by working at nights, if the concern was that he only wants to pay for working days then I wouldn't mind taking unpaid leaves. also I told him that I have worked at a lot of toxic places and I am not gonna let people rule over me,” he noted.
{{/usCountry}}The employee said the situation escalated but later improved after a direct conversation. “Anyway, we had a talk after this, I let him know this is not cool, if the concern is projects getting delayed then I would've managed that by working at nights, if the concern was that he only wants to pay for working days then I wouldn't mind taking unpaid leaves. also I told him that I have worked at a lot of toxic places and I am not gonna let people rule over me,” he noted.
{{/usCountry}}According to him, his boss then asked for better communication and more calls to avoid further misunderstanding. “I agreed and we are moving on from this. My goal was to let him know that I am not helpless and I can quit anytime I want he wants to deny leaves or be toxic.”
Clarification about boss and startup size
In an update, the employee said some users questioned whether the boss was truly American. He clarified, “I video call with him four times a week — he is definitely white. He only has 3–4 employees right now, so it’s a very small startup. I was referred by someone in my network who is on a retainer with him, so they are not working full time. I am the only Indian working full time with him.”
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Reddit reacts
A stream of comments poured in, with many reacting strongly to the confrontation. One user wrote, “you handled it better than most would in that situation.” Another remarked, “revoking access was risky but understandable if you feared not getting paid.” Someone else commented, “small startups often blur boundaries and that leads to chaos.” Another added, “glad both of you sorted it out without things collapsing completely.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)