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Mumbai woman urges employees to be ‘slightly problematic’ at work: ‘Your mental health might depend on it’
A Mumbai woman said employees should be ‘slightly problematic’ at work to protect their mental health.
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A Mumbai woman has sparked a discussion on workplace boundaries after urging employees to become “slightly problematic” at work at least once in their lives. The woman, who goes by the Instagram name Tulip, shared a video in which she spoke about the importance of saying no to unhealthy workplace expectations and not allowing office culture to normalise burnout.
(Also read: ‘4-day work week, no set hours’: Founder encourages employees to prioritise mental health, shares why)
In the video, she said, "Okay, so I genuinely think that everybody needs to be slightly problematic at work at least once. Not HR-level problematic, calm down. I mean saying no to unpaid overtime, leaving on time, not answering emails at 11:00 p.m., taking your lunch break without guilt, questioning a stupid process, actually using your annual leaves, this problematic. Because the workplace will survive with or without you, right? And sometimes being difficult means just having boundaries in a culture that benefits from you having none. So yes, be a little problematic at work. Your mental health might actually depend on it."
Her remarks resonated with many social media users who often discuss long working hours, unpaid overtime, and the pressure to remain constantly available even after office hours.
‘Stop treating burnout like a personality trait’
The clip was shared with a caption that read: "Be a problematic employee at least once in your life. Say no to unpaid overtime. Leave work on time. Take your lunch break. Use your annual leave. Stop treating burnout like a personality trait. Sometimes being “difficult” at work is just setting healthy boundaries in toxic work culture. And honestly? More people should try it."
Watch the clip here:
Internet reacts
The video has received several reactions, with many users agreeing with her take. One user summed up the message in a humorous way and wrote, "Simplified version: “Tension lene ka nahi, dene ka.”" Another user appeared to agree with the idea but pointed out how difficult it is to apply in real life, saying, "It makes sense, but we just can’t do it, can we?"
Several others supported the message. A user wrote, "Rightly said," while another added, "That’s absolutely true!" However, not everyone agreed with the tone of the post. One user commented, "People who create problems at work should remember that karma ka hisaab sirf office mein nahi hota. You may have to pay the price somewhere else in life."
HT.com has reached out to the user for her comments, and the copy will be updated once her response is received.
(Also read: Anish Bhagat’s parents win hearts for supporting him during mental health crisis: ‘We are not going anywhere’)
(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.)
