The founder and CEO of Iconify Consulting Group has shared a reflection of how “corporate culture” quietly breaks employees, citing the case of her friend. Mishka Rana said that her friend earning ₹12 lakh per annum is expected to work 12 hours a day, log in even on weekends and has to listen to her boss insult her in every meeting. Even so, she cannot afford to quit her job as she has loans to pay off.
A reflection on corporate culture
Mishka Rana, founder and CEO of Iconify Consulting Group, said that her friend works in a well known insurance company and earns ₹12 lakh per annum.
Despite her shift timing being 9 am to 7 pm, her boss expects her to work till 10 pm every day. This means that she is effectively working 12 hours a day.
Even after she logs out, the work does not end because she is expected to answer work calls till at least 11 pm every night.
According to Rana, the boss even demands that she work on weekends and “insults her in almost every meeting”.
The woman suffers through all the toxic treatment because she is afraid of losing her job. She has EMIs and an education loan to pay off. However, the toxicity has taken a toll on her mental health — according to Rana, she cries every day.
“She still does it, afraid of losing her job and breaks down everyday,” Rana wrote on X.
Culture or bullying?
Social media users weighed in on the post, calling it a case of exploitation and bullying.
“This is not corporate culture, it’s corporate cruelty. No paycheck is worth this humiliation,” X user Kiran Agarwal opined.
“This is bullying and yes a lot of corporates think this is ok because it “pushes” people to work. Little realising that it breaks them mentally until one day they just don’t care any more,” another person said.
“This is exactly the kind of corporate culture that glorifies burnout and calls it “commitment.” You’re not running a company, you’re running a cult of exploitation where mental health is collateral damage,” a user posted.