‘My CEO texted me for leaving 10 minutes early’: Gen Z employee questions workplace culture

A Gen Z employee has shared a workplace experience on Reddit after claiming their CEO texted them on WhatsApp for leaving work just 10 minutes early. The employee said they had only recently started working full-time and wondered if such behaviour was normal.The post prompted many people to share similar workplace experiences. (Representative Image)The employee shared the post on Reddit with the title, “My CEO texted me for leaving 10 minutes early.”Explaining what happened, the user wrote, “I left just 10 minutes early today, and now the CEO is texting me on WhatsApp. This is the same company that made me spend my own money on things for work and then took 17 days to reimburse me, even after I kept reminding them.”The employee said they found the situation difficult to understand because managers often took hour-long breaks, while other colleagues regularly stepped away for 30 minutes without anyone questioning them. They added that they rarely took a proper break themselves, making the CEO’s message feel even more unfair.(Also Read: Delhi woman says luxury high-rise apartments are not ‘matchboxes’: ‘Buyers invest after careful thought’)The post continued, “Guys, is this normal? I literally just joined full-time, and as a Gen Z, this feels so weird. Working life is way tougher than I expected.”The employee also claimed their boss had made another unusual remark, writing, “Hire a social media intern even if it’s unpaid, or I’ll make you create all the reels yourself, and I am HR, lol.”Check out the full story here.Internet reactsOne person commented, “I was doing an unpaid internship where there was barely any work, but we still had to sit in the office from 10 AM to 7 PM. Since I travelled from far away, my day became 8 AM to 8 PM. One day I left 10 minutes early, and they told me I needed to learn corporate hours. I refused, requested shorter working hours, and started leaving at 4 PM.”Another user wrote, “I also did an unpaid internship for four months at the startup where I now work full-time. My office hours were 10 AM to 7 PM, and I travelled 16 km each way. They said I could leave at 6 PM, but only if I came in early every morning to unlock the office. I refused.”Many users felt the employee should move on. “Get an outside offer and leave this toxic place. Someone seeking attention probably reported this to the CEO,” one person wrote.Another advised, “Never spend your own money on office expenses, OP. Lesson learned, I guess.”(Also Read: