A viral Reddit post has put a spotlight on a growing but often silent reality in India’s workforce, employees who face toxic bosses but cannot afford to walk away. The post came from a mid-career professional who said years of emotional harassment from his manager have broken his confidence, yet family responsibilities and education commitments force him to stay in the same job. “I’ve been working in the same company for over 7.5 years now. My boss constantly belittles me, shifts blame, and turns small things into reasons to scold me. He tells me I should see a psychiatrist because I have issues, and asks why anyone would care about me when there are peons who are more useful.”
Why walking out isn’t easy
The story may sound unusual in an era where motivational posts cheer people to “just quit.” But the Reddit user explains why leaving isn’t so simple. He supports his elderly parents, needs exam leave while completing his degree, and is saving for his future business. His situation reflects a wider truth: many employees stay in difficult jobs not due to lack of skill or courage, but because life pressures leave them with no safe exit. For many, quitting isn’t empowerment — stability is.
When work starts hurting the mind
The post describes emotional toll from long-term bullying. Some days the employee feels stable, and on other days he admits he is “hanging by a thread.” He also says he has “lost the spark to perform.” Arguments with the boss reportedly stretch for over an hour, turning routine reviews into draining confrontations. A Deloitte study earlier this year said most workplace stress in India comes from managers, a reminder that office behaviour shapes mental health long before HR wellness posters do.
Stuck, but not defeated
A key line in the post reads, “I’m not stuck because I’m weak. I’m stuck because life sometimes doesn’t give better options at the moment.” For many professionals juggling caregiving, education, and rising costs, staying is not passivit, it is strategy. They continue working, planning, hoping. They show resilience even when the workplace chips away at confidence.
A quiet crisis beyond glossy HR slogans
India’s job culture talks about well-being and open-door management, but the lived reality often depends on who your boss is. Many workers fear raising complaints because power rests with managers. And when family and finances depend on one salary, enduring becomes easier than risking change.
Speaking up, even anonymously, matters
Not every employee facing a toxic workplace can call it out. Most suffer silently. But by sharing his story, even without his name, this worker gave a voice to many others stuck between responsibility and self-preservation. His hope? That one day, professionalism includes dignity as a basic requirement, not a lucky bonus.