A woman in a Reddit post recalled a toxic workplace nightmare, where she alleged she faced relentless harassment from her 40-year-old manager. She claimed her boss demanded hospital records and threatened her job using HR ties when she was battling COVID-19 and a second miscarriage. She said that the boss also made derogatory remarks after she informed him the first time she miscarried.
“A few years back, I had a miscarriage. About 6–7 months later, I conceived again. This time, I chose not to share it with my manager (40M) because of his past inappropriate comments like telling me ‘don’t try for a baby, you’re too ambitious’ or gossiping with others that she’s obsessed with having a kid’,” the 30-year-old woman recalled.
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“During that period, a wave of COVID hit my office and many people got infected, including me. I informed my manager that I had tested positive and stayed home. Around the same time, I found out I miscarried again. Within the span of 5 days, I was fighting high fever, going through a D&C, and also getting admitted for COVID complications,” she continued.
“It was the darkest phase of my life, and I chose not to share the miscarriage with my manager. But instead of showing any empathy, he harassed me for weeks. He kept pressuring me to show him my hospital discharge summary. He even threatened me, saying that since he was close friends with HR, he would find out anyway,” the woman added. She also alleged that she escalated the matter to her company’s COO, a woman, but she did nothing to help the employee.
{{/usCountry}}“It was the darkest phase of my life, and I chose not to share the miscarriage with my manager. But instead of showing any empathy, he harassed me for weeks. He kept pressuring me to show him my hospital discharge summary. He even threatened me, saying that since he was close friends with HR, he would find out anyway,” the woman added. She also alleged that she escalated the matter to her company’s COO, a woman, but she did nothing to help the employee.
{{/usCountry}}“I really hope workplaces evolve to become more humane and respectful, and that managers like this are held accountable,” the woman wrote and concluded her post.
How did social media react?
An individual suggested, “If no one is listening, quit silently, that place doesn't deserve it. If you take action, you'll probably be on the losing side and suffer more. If anything worse happens, take screenshots, prove everything, and find a new job. A job is not worth your life and kids. Hope you are happy, get a little one soon, and leave these toxic people.” The OP replied, “Hi, I quit silently, and I’m a mother of a beautiful 18-month-old. Thank you for your kind words.”
Another remarked, “Damn, OP. I hope you are doing well. I really never understood middle management's obsession with controlling everything. They act like slave owners. And top management just chooses to ignore this, which hurts hard. Please take care of yourself.”
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A third added, “The Majority of the Indian managers lack empathy, do not trust the employees and have zero work-life balance.” A fourth wrote, “We think women would support women. But it all comes down to money and power at the end of the day. If a woman sees no benefit from you, she's not gonna help you just because you both are women. That stuff only happens in the movies and drama shows.”
(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.)