A product designer, Shreyas, resigned on his very first day at a new job due to his manager’s toxic behavior and unreasonable demands. Shreyas took to Reddit to share his experience, revealing a screenshot of his resignation email, which has since gone viral. He explained that despite accepting a position below industry standards for the benefit of remote work, the workplace environment quickly became unbearable.
Shreyas joined the company as a product designer on October 7 but was soon disillusioned when his manager demanded he work 12 to 14-hour days without any additional compensation. Despite a standard 9-hour workday, his manager expected employees to regularly work overtime. When Shreyas raised concerns about maintaining a work-life balance, his manager dismissed it as a “fancy term” associated with “western developed nation behavior.”
Shreyas also mentioned that his boss ridiculed his desire to have personal time to read and exercise, brushing off these requests as “excuses.” Feeling belittled and attacked for valuing his life outside work, he submitted his resignation on the first day.
In his resignation email, Shreyas addressed his manager’s unacceptable conduct. He emphasized that his manager’s remarks about his personal time—whether exercising, reading, or spending time with family—were inappropriate and unprofessional. He called out the manager’s demands for overtime without compensation and the “threatening” tone used when insisting on work being submitted within 48 hours.
Shreyas concluded his email by challenging his manager to make their Slack conversations public, inviting others to judge the appropriateness of the demands made.
The post quickly gained traction on Reddit, with users applauding Shreyas for standing up to a toxic work environment. Many encouraged him to name and shame companies that exploit employees, while others expressed admiration for his bold stance against exploitative practices in modern workplaces.
This incident highlights the growing intolerance toward toxic work cultures and the increasing awareness of employee rights.
