A video shared by an Indian man has triggered a wider conversation on workplace empathy after he claimed that his foreign manager asked him not to work on the day his child started preschool.
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Manager’s response wins praise
Taking to Instagram, Saurabh Verma said he had joined a meeting slightly late because it was his child’s first day at preschool. When he explained the reason, his manager was surprised that he had logged in at all.
“Guys, I have a foreign manager who actually stopped me from working today and asked me to take the day off because it was my child’s first day at preschool,” Verma said in the video.
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He added that his manager told him, “Saurabh, why did you even come to work today? This is such an important day, and I really think you should be with your child.”
{{/usCountry}}He added that his manager told him, “Saurabh, why did you even come to work today? This is such an important day, and I really think you should be with your child.”
{{/usCountry}}According to Verma, the manager insisted that he spend time with his child, saying, “No, you should go to the preschool and spend time with your child. It’s the first day, and he might be scared or anxious.”
Verma then compared the incident with what he believes is a common attitude in many Indian workplaces. “Now, can you imagine any Indian manager thinking like this? Probably not,” he said, adding that many managers would simply say, “Okay, you have dropped him at school, so there is nothing more for you to do there. Let’s continue with work.”
Calling it a “huge difference between Indian and foreign managers,” Verma urged Indian managers to learn from such examples. “Some things in life are more important than office work,” he said.
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Watch the clip here:
Internet reacts
The clip drew several reactions from users, with many sharing similar experiences. One user wrote, “I have a foreign manager too, so I can totally relate to this.” Another said, “My manager is the same way. But this kind of empathy is something many Indian managers still struggle to understand.”
A third user agreed and commented, “True. Foreign managers and even clients often show much better understanding and empathy.”
One user shared a deeply personal experience, writing, “My child was hospitalised, and my manager would call me only to ask, ‘When will you come to office? WFH cannot be allowed for so many days.’” The user added that they worked from the hospital for five days without taking leave, yet the manager only checked whether their Teams status was green.
Another person wrote, “In India, leave is often granted only when the person who is seriously ill or has passed away is a blood relative.” A sixth user simply added, “Totally agree.”
(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.)