Sometimes, even dedicated employees are at the receiving end of harsh, unfair punishment. In a similar case, an employee at an Indian company was shamed publicly and fined for leaving the air-conditioner on for just one day.
A Reddit post captured the anger and frustration of an employee, who shared that after diligently turning off all the lights and AC before leaving – which by the way is not his responsibility – he received his boss’ scolding, along with a fine of Rs 500, for leaving the AC on for just one night.
“So I work late a lot, and most nights I’m the one turning off all the lights and AC before leaving. One day, I forgot. Just one day. Next morning, the boss blasts a group message saying whoever left the AC and lights on will have ₹500 deducted from their salary. No discussion, no warning. Just straight-up salary cut,” the post read.
The employee said he felt humiliated after the group message, as it made him look careless in front of his colleagues, despite it not being his responsibility to shut down the office.
“I admitted it was me because I didn’t want to lie or drag it out, but now I feel humiliated. Everyone saw the message, and it makes me look careless when I’m usually the one doing this extra chore,” he said.
“There’s no policy saying it’s my responsibility to shut down the office, I just did it because I was usually last to leave. But now I’m getting fined for one mistake. Is this even normal? Or am I right to feel pissed and anxious about this?”
Several netizens sided with the employees, advising him to leave the job as soon as possible and not work in a toxic environment. “Toxic Boss. Leave ASAP,” a user wrote, under which a person replied, “And switch everything on before leaving.”
“Since when employees are to take care of office premises. Hire a person for office management,” another person wrote. A fourth user said, “Don’t stay last. Let it be someone else’s problem. Also leave that toxic place.”
“Work for what u are paid. It’s the maintenance job to look after AC. Ask your manager to show the same in your job description that you are responsible for maintainance work (sic),” read another comment.