Viral Post: Hyderabad Techie Claims Manager Sought Work During Paternity Leave; Internet Reacts

An IT professional in Hyderabad was reportedly asked by his manager to work during his paternity leave, despite his newborn baby being in the NICU. The techie shared his ordeal on Reddit, explaining the manager's insensitivity during this family emergency, which sparked significant online discussion and support.

A IT professional in Hyderabad said that his management asked him to work while on paternity leave, despite the fact that his newborn kid was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The employee stated that he had told his management and HR of his absence in advance, yet he is still being handed assignments. The techie's kid was born prematurely and is requiring critical care in the NICU. The individual claimed that the management neglected his family emergency and pressed for job completion. This isn't an unusual incidence; the employee recalls a similar situation last year when his pregnant wife was hospitalised.

In a Reddit post on the r/developersIndia subreddit, the employee wrote, "My baby was a premie who came suddenly before he was due, hence he had to be admitted to the NICU due to respiratory distress." "I informed my manager that this is the situation, he still called me and asked me about work and assigned me tasks (despite me taking leave)," he added.

"Last year, when my pregnant wife was ill and had to be admitted to the hospital, he asked me to work till 3 AM in the morning despite not having an hard dependency on me at all and I lead and delivered the release with absolutely 0 bugs and it was business critical application," he said.

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"This is completely disrespectful, and he is doing it regularly, and the firm is one of the world's largest insurance companies; we are its GCC in Hyderabad... Please suggest what to do."

Social Media Reactions

The episode has prompted uproar online, with many criticising the manager's conduct as an obvious breach of corporate policy and worker rights. Fellow professionals advise the employee to log all communications and escalate the situation to HR.

The post garnered more than 500 votes. Many users flocked to the comments area to express their views. "Nothing matters more than you and your family. Nothing," one user wrote in the comment section.

""Just two weeks of paternity leave, damn man; colleagues in Europe get months of paternity leave," another person said. "He is a prime example of how low a person can go. Do not entertain him and enjoy these days with your newborn and your wife," a third user added.

Others advised caution alongside evidence‑gathering. “If you don’t have savings for a year, don’t complain yet—just keep all evidence and start looking for other jobs quietly,” another commenter said.

Multiple users countered the replacement threat, calling it a common managerial pressure tactic. “Hiring and onboarding costs lakhs. Don’t fall for it,” one comment read.