Big 4 employee calls out manager for forcing weekend work, raises work-life concerns: ‘I get paid for 5 days’

A Reddit post criticising workplace culture in India has triggered a discussion around long hours, burnout, and employee boundaries after a user claimed they were asked to work weekends despite being on a 5-day schedule.Several social media users shared similar experiences and opinions on workplace expectations. (Unsplash/Representational Image)In a post titled “Why have we glorified working on weekends?”, the employee said that he had recently joined a Big 4 firm and was assigned to a project where his manager allegedly made weekend work mandatory to meet client deadlines.The user shared that his manager told the team that “client is important for us so you have to work on weekends” and added that previous employees had followed the same practice. The user said that he pushed back, stating that he was paid for 5 days and needed weekends for personal time.“I said you can roll me off from this project,” the user wrote, adding that the manager reacted angrily and escalated the matter to senior management. He also criticised what he described as a culture of glorifying overwork, questioning why employees are expected to prioritise clients at the cost of personal lives.“why have we Indians glorified this weekend working? I mean jo bhi ese managers hai why don’t you just put a picture of client at your home and make your wife and kids pray to them everyday,” the user wrote.(Also Read: Indian man working in the Netherlands shares what surprised him most: ‘Your savings grow much faster’)Social media reactionsThe post quickly gained traction, with many users sharing similar experiences and opinions on workplace expectations.“India is an employer’s market. Theres always someone willing to say yes. So its not about right or wrong. Managers push because they can, and it has worked for them before. The only thing that changes it is people drawing a line. If you trust your skills, stand firm. Worst case, you leave. Best case, they adjust. No one will protect your boundaries for you man,” one user wrote.“Bruh tell me about it, stand ur ground. This ends with our generation. We need a life and hobbies no wonder indians are always frustrated and have no personality outside of work and God,” commented another.“Don’t think we have glorified it, this mostly stems from senior management not planning properly and overcommitting deadlines. Now if we tell them that, we will probably be put in PIP. After a point of time, it’s just better to move away because this client dickriding never ends and we are just resources and not human beings with life,” wrote a third user.“Worked in Indian Workplace, now working in kiwi workplace. I can no longer work under indian manager anymore. Indians come to New Zealand and tries to impose the same working culture here on their subordinate,” said another.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)