Employee says he almost got fired for smiling during virtual meeting as senior leader felt ‘insulted’

Published on: Oct 28, 2025 05:01 pm A Reddit post revealed how an employee almost got fired after a senior misread his smile on a Zoom call. A Reddit user has shared an unusual workplace incident in which a casual smile during a Zoom onboarding session almost cost him his job. A Reddit user said he almost got fired for simply smiling during a Zoom call, after a senior misread his posture and escalated the issue over email.(Representational image/Unsplash) In a post titled “Almost got fired for smiling”, he describes how a casual moment during the work from home period allegedly spiralled into a series of emails from a senior official calling for his dismissal. A harmless smile turned into a complaintThe employee wrote on Reddit that he had joined a mid range company as a fresher along with about ten others. During one of the introductory calls, a senior management official joined to welcome the new recruits. The session was casual and filled with jokes. As others laughed, the user says he simply smiled. His laptop camera was placed at the bottom of his gaming device which created a strange angle and the senior manager reportedly assumed he was lying down. The senior jokingly asked, “xyz why are you smiling”, to which the employee replied that everything was fine. The call continued without any further comments and he assumed the incident had passed. Six months later, a shocking revelationHowever, half a year later, some colleagues who were leaving the organisation revealed that the senior leader had felt “insulted” that smile. According to them, the official raised a long chain of emails demanding feedback on the employee and recommended that he be fired. Even team members working onsite in another country were copied in the thread. The employee learned that his manager and team lead defended him throughout and shielded him from the stress. They also tried to convince the senior that he had misinterpreted the situation and that the employee performed well. The Redditor said he realised the incident showed “how small of a person this guy is” and eventually decided to quit the company, which he described as “the best decision”. Check out the post here: Mixed reactions from Reddit usersThe conversation has drawn several comments on Reddit. One user responded, “Glad u left” while another wrote, “It seems like he’s exaggerating.” Someone else quoted the exact moment saying, “He was like ‘xyz why are you smiling’.” Another commenter shared a similar experience saying they once declined cake politely from a consulting partner and it “did not turn out well” but ultimately worked out for the better. One person remarked, “Indian workplaces have the most egocentric management and gatekeeping groups.” Another added, “it’s about wrong reaction at wrong time.” (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.) News / Trending / Employee says he almost got fired for smiling during virtual meeting as senior leader felt ‘insulted’ See Less