A Gurugram startup firing a new joinee over ‘attitude problems’ didn’t sit well with social media today. After the fired employee recently shared their experience on Reddit, the post has sparked a debate on workplace culture and hiring practices, with many siding with the employee. Here’s the whole story with additional details. 

Why Gurugram employee was fired?

The debate started when the employee shared on Reddit: “So I joined this startup in Gurgaon and on the third day my employer tells me I’m not down to earth, I have an attitude problem and this way we can’t work together. I (still) didn’t understand. I said I don’t (have an) attitude, I’ll work on it although I did not even understand why he was saying that..”

But how did this act escalate the situation? He continued.. “Me and other 2 joinees used to go for tea and smoke together sometimes so he started having problems with that now. Don’t create groups, it’s not good for the company etc. After some time he started having problems with me leaving on time (at) 7 pm. You are leaving exactly at 7, this is not good etc..”

He underlined that, “All this happened in (the) first 15 days of work,” 

Adding to the story, “On the 20th day (the) around the director or owner asked to work from his cabin instead of my desk and said for some days you’ll be working here only. Dude who works like that in a cabin all day with your director. I still agreed, but at 7 pm I was looking out of the cabin to see if one the colleague I made recently a friend has left or not for our day end Sutta and the director suddenly got frustrated and said why you looking outside I’m talking here this that and asked the HR to terminate me immediately.”

Update on the story

The Gurugram employee, who was fired within 20 days of joining an undisclosed startup, has shared more details about the incident. He added that he is taking the matter seriously and has filed a complaint in the labour court after discovering that another new hire was terminated on the same day for the same reasons.

Here's what he added:

"I did file a complaint with the labour commissioner. Never thought I’d get this much response from the community, appreciate it. I missed a few horrible things that went after my last day of working where the director verbally terminated me.

One of the other joinees was terminated as well on the same day. Initially they did not even send the termination letter until more than a week. When asked, the director said it’s nowhere written that you’ll get termination mail on the same day."

Here’s where the wrongful termination took an even uglier turn: "After a week before sending the termination letter I was called to have a discussion regarding my termination where the director and my manager were present and made a video recording of the conversation where the director asked nothing but about the conversations I had with the new joinees. Which was very very weird because he didn’t let me record as well, when I started recording the director said “over smartness gayi nhi abhi?” and fooled me by saying I’ll share the recording."

While the fired employee has not revealed the name of the startup, he added, "I don’t want to name the company yet because I’m not sure if I can do that until the labour commission provides an update. But I can tell you that they worked for coaching centers to provide study material.

After the fired employee shared more details, someone in the comments section said they could relate and that a similar thing had happened to them, hinting that the startup has been engaging in this practice for a long time.

Here's how Netizen's react to the Gurugram story

While the startup culture in India is still working on ways to enhance the employee experience amid strong industry competition for talent, this is no way to treat a new hire. This post sparked a new debate on ‘Toxic Work’ environment, with Redditors supporting him: 

Some even sparked 70-hour workweek debate:

Some questioned the company's work culture and workplace norms: 

Many tried to console the employee for escaping a toxic work culture and encouraged them to find a better opportunity: “Leave the job, if you are skilled, you will find another one.” said one Redditor in support. 

“PS: I have filed an official complaint to the labor commissioner describing the unethical practices by the company,” commented an anonymous user. 

While others questioned the startup's long-term sustainability and shared their own experiences.

A new hire may turn out to be a bad hire, but it is too soon to decide whether their nonchalance is a sign of unproductivity or poor performance.

HR and talent acquisition professionals invest a lot of time and energy in finding and onboarding the right talent, and such experiences can lead to public scrutiny, making companies appear to have a toxic work environment.

Not every employee comes with an entrepreneurial mindset, but with the right talent management strategies and a nurturing culture built on trust and empathy, leaders can develop that mindset in new hires over time.

Here, HR is not the primary concern—it is the leadership team of the startup that is in question. This raises an important issue: are startups willing to lose top talent at this cost?

The competition for talent is fierce, and today's workforce is no longer solely attracted to big names and prestige. Instead, employees seek a workplace where they feel valued, appreciated, and have opportunities for growth.