An Indian techie’s detailed Reddit post about being fired by a toxic boss, only to be asked to return months later, has gone viral, sparking a discussion about toxic managers and workplaces.
In the post titled ‘Terminated from a high paying job. Now they want me back’, the 31-year-old IT consultant recounted how he went from a decade of career stability to sudden termination after joining a foreign company as an individual contractor. He shared that he had been referred to the company by a client and was offered a 150% salary hike along with payment in USD and a near-complete work-from-home setup. “I was on cloud nine,” he wrote. “We started from scratch and worked very hard. 10 hrs a day is normal and often times I worked on weekends as well. I was fairly compensated for overtime as well and I was learning a lot from the project,” he said.
The Redditor said that initially, his manager, also Indian, was highly supportive. However, the techie added that over time, the relationship soured. “All of a sudden, manager started targeting me pointing out very small mistakes in my work which are mostly non-mandatory things,” he said. “He (The manager) also started bringing the topic of my salary in every confrontation. He asked for hourly updates every day and confront for every small thing. He even stopped compensating for my overtime claiming that I worked overtime because of my inefficiency,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The Redditor said that initially, his manager, also Indian, was highly supportive. However, the techie added that over time, the relationship soured. “All of a sudden, manager started targeting me pointing out very small mistakes in my work which are mostly non-mandatory things,” he said. “He (The manager) also started bringing the topic of my salary in every confrontation. He asked for hourly updates every day and confront for every small thing. He even stopped compensating for my overtime claiming that I worked overtime because of my inefficiency,” he said.
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Techie terminated for ‘non-performance’
Then, things escalated when the manager asked him to hire someone he personally recommended as unofficial support staff. “I didn’t like the idea and advised him that we can hire him as a contractor just like me. He said that the guy is from a different domain and can’t get selected there. I offered to train him for free as well. My manager couldn’t take my rejection and started making my life worse,” the techie wrote.
After enduring months of verbal abuse, he finally stood up for himself. “I politely yet firmly said that he can’t talk to me like that anymore, and he is free to terminate me if he doesn’t like my work,” the Redditor said.
Then, shortly after, the techie said he was terminated for “non-performance”. “All of a sudden, on a Sunday night in August, I got a termination mail with 2 week notice from HR quoting non performance. Next day, when asked, my manager claimed that it’s the upper management’s decision and he doesn’t has any say in it,” he recalled.
Despite the shock, the techie said he completed the notice period professionally and even received an appreciation email mid-tenure. However, he said that the ordeal dented his mental health, prompting a two-month break.
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Techie confused after company asks him to rejoin
Then, months later, the same company reached out - first HR, then the senior manager - asking him to return. They promised things would be different this time, he wrote. But he said he is not sure how much he can trust the company anymore.
“I am now confused whether to join back hoping that things will be better and enjoy high pay or stay my ground and try somewhere else. But I am very sure that I won’t be getting that package anywhere in near future with current market conditions. I also know that everyone is replaceable and they might get someone good in my place for sure. So I will be the ultimate loser in terms of finances and manager may get away with slap on the wrist,” he wrote.
The post has since gone viral on Reddit, sparking conversations around toxic managers. Several users also advised the developer to only return if certain preconditions were met.
(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.)