Startup employee shifts from flexible working hours to 9-5 schedule: ‘Isolated, alone’ | Trending
A young employee claimed she is struggling to juggle work and personal life in a startup where the ‘we are a family’ culture makes it difficult to keep clear boundaries. A Reddit user, leywino, joined a startup company around 8 months ago and since it was her first job she didn’t know much about the working culture. She shared that when she joined she was told that there are no 9 to 5 work timings in the company and the CEO expected her to overtime. The user also claimed that in return to adapting to this working culture, the company offered “freedom” to talk like friends and joke around with other employees. A young employee struggles to balance work and personal life in a close-knit startup.(Pexels) The user did this for 6 months but 2 months ago she said she would only work for 9 to 5 and since then she has been feeling isolated, while everyone else is “still having fun” at work. She is now seeking advice on how to handle the situation. She posted, “So, I joined this startup around 8 months ago and since it is my first job I didn’t know what I was walking into, CEO was friendly and she said ‘We are like a family in here’ and I was like that’s different from what I was imagined. And she says there is no 9 to 5 in here, she expects us to dream of the same thing and work overtime, in return she offers freedom.” “ definition of freedom, we all talk like friends and joke around stuff, even NSFW stuff, going out at 10 am to drink tea (it’s worktime), I played along for 6 months, but since 2 months ago I cut my freedom off and said I would only work for 9 to 5, now I feel like I am alone in this mess (I am the youngest in this company), everyone else is still at fun and games, I don’t understand them but I feel mentally down, any advice?” she added. Take a look at the post here: Here’s how people reacted to the post:One of the Reddit users, Affectionate-pea1326, commented, “All this family thing is c**p. Work hours should be defined so we work in those hours and do our personal stuff outside that. If they provide flexible working hours then they’ll expect you to come and work on weekends as well”. Another user, HyperVyper28, commented, “You are not alone, you are the smart one, work for what you are paid for, and get out when it’s logout time. Expect people to raise concerns over this”. In many startups, the culture is often informal which blurs the lines between work and personal life. This environment promotes team bonds but it leads to challenges for those who need clear work boundaries.
