13-Hour Shifts, Barely Any Leave: Fresher’s Viral Reddit Post Raises Questions, Sparks Discussion

A new employee's Reddit post about a grueling 13-hour workday, mandatory work-from-home shifts, and weekend labor has gone viral. The employee questioned the legality of the schedule, which offers only two days of leave per month, sparking a widespread online debate about workplace exploitation.

A new employee has sparked a controversy on Reddit about a demanding 13-hour work schedule. The user claimed to work from the office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an obligatory work-from-home shift until 10 p.m. They questioned if this was normal or exploitative, given the requirement for weekend labour and just two days of leave each month.

“Is this work schedule even legal or am I being exploited?” the employee wrote on Reddit. “I wanted to gain some perspective on whether the expectations of my current job are reasonable or if I’m being taken advantage of. My official working hours are: 9 AM to 5 PM: Work from the office. 5 PM to 10 PM: Work from home. So, effectively, I’m working 13 hours a day. Additionally, we are expected to work on Saturdays and Sundays as well (WFH),” he added.

The employee said, “The office is closed on weekends, yet labour is still required. We only get two days of leave every month. There is no true weekly off, and I feel like I am continuously working with little time to relax or recover. Is this normal? This is my first job.”

Check Out Viral Reddit Post

The Reddit post also uploaded an image, saying it was a message from the company's human resources department. It specified that staff must notify the office if they want to go outside of Kochi on weekends.

How Did Social Media React?

The post went viral, with users sharing their opinions on the issue.

One user commented, "Please abandon the firm. They have no right to know where you are on weekends. If they request to work required weekends, it indicates inadequate workforce planning on their part. Employees should not pay the price for management's blunders!"

Another X user wrote: "Please contact the HR department and submit your resignation. I'd rather be unemployed than be a slave to this corporation. Also, after you receive your F&F, report them to the Labour Department and publicly humiliate them on social media and Glassdoor."