Latest update:
The employee said HR supports his case but cannot transfer him to another team at this moment.
The post was shared 2 days ago. (representational image)
One employee’s story about an intrusive and controlling boss who pressured them to have no interests outside of work caught attention on Reddit. The post, which was shared on the subreddit r/Indian Works, said the manager expected the employee to work overtime without any pay. Although there are no formal warnings or other notices from his boss, the employee feels stressed by his manager’s insistence on working overtime.
The post, which was shared two days ago, read: “My manager has been pressuring me to work beyond my usual 8-hour unpaid shift. He is convinced that my performance is declining because I am not putting in unpaid overtime. There has been no formal warning about performance, no missed deadlines, and no refusal to work. I complete everything I am assigned during work hours.”
A manager asks an employee to give up interests outside of work
According to the post, the situation became worse when the manager discovered the employee’s interests outside of work. The worker was then asked to focus only on his work and not communicate with people in the office who shared their interests. The reason given by the boss was that the employee was young and “should only focus on work and not have a life.”
What did HR say about the situation?
When the worker contacted HR, the department agreed that the manager was wrong, but said they could not help the employee move to another team because there were no open positions. The worker is now stuck doing his job under the same manager.
“At this point, he’s trying to control what I do outside of work hours, what matters to me as a person, who I talk to at work, where I sit at work, and even whether I’m allowed to have a life at all, all while still pushing for unpaid overtime,” the Redditor said. They asked for advice to address the situation.
Social media is answering the call
Many users supported the employee and asked him to prepare to change jobs. “Do your job, ignore extras, avoid talking to the manager, and be prepared to switch if you can’t move internally. Set some boundaries,” one comment read.
Another account wrote: “The manager tried. I quit. The manager got angry. I didn’t care. I found a new job. Better pay. I’ve followed the same policy ever since. Let me work, I’ll do wonders for you; tried to control me, and always quitting on my drafts. Reckless? Yes. Radical? Absolutely. Am I prioritizing the right aspects of my life? 100%.”
One individual advised the operator to be ready with the manual and ignore everything else. “Listen to everything, document everything and ignore everything. When the time comes, be prepared with proof. Live your life the way you want. As you climb the corporate ladder, you will come across people who are miserable and feel validated by making others more miserable. Learn to ignore them and always do what you feel is right.”
The publication highlights the extent to which toxic work is prevalent in offices across the country and is leaving young employees feeling stressed and powerless.
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12 December 2025 at 10:53 IST
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