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The techie also claimed he often felt left out at office parties as he was a teetotaler.
The techie struggled to build connections with his Hindi-speaking colleagues. (representative image)
A tech professional from Bengaluru has shed light on the ‘unspoken toxic culture’ in Indian corporates through a bombshell Reddit post. He noted his challenges while working at three unicorn startups for four years across multiple cities. “I am sitting at my desk, wondering why this part of corporate life feels like navigating a maze blindfolded. Let me vent—because maybe I’m not alone?” he wrote.
The techie then shared how he struggled to blend into the office culture because of the language barrier. He claimed that most of his fellow employees used to chat in Hindi but he was not that fluent.
“Imagine walking into a meeting that starts with a polite ‘How’s your day?’ in English, only for the next 30 minutes to dissolve into rapid-fire Hindi. Jokes fly, ideas bounce and you’re just…nodding,” the user mentioned on Reddit. He might have tried his best to learn Hindi, but his skills were not enough to get the inside jokes and understand pop culture references.
“It’s like trying to catch smoke with your hands. The worst part? The bonding. Chai breaks, lunch tables, even Slack threads—suddenly, you’re the outsider in your own office. You smile awkwardly and laugh a beat too late…But when promotions hinge on “culture fit,” how do you fit into a culture that feels linguistically gated?” the Redditor asked.
The employee further expressed his discontent over “smoke breaks” which according to him, was also part of the “unofficial rulebook.” “Every hour, the balcony fills with folks puffing away, discussing projects, venting about managers, or just…chatting. You don’t smoke? Congrats on the healthy lungs! Now enjoy staring at your screen while career-critical conversations happen without you,” he explained in the post.
The techie also claimed that being a teetotaler, he used to feel left out at office parties. “If you’re not clinking glasses, you’re a ghost. ‘Why aren’t you drinking?’ becomes the anthem of the night. Decline politely and suddenly, you’re the boring one. The FOMO isn’t about the alcohol—it’s about the camaraderie that evaporates when you’re not one of them,” he said.
Many corporate employers resonated with the post. It has already garnered hundreds of upvotes on Reddit.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
