Employee’s Bold Refusal To Work Overtime Goes Viral, Calls Out Toxic Work Culture

Viral Video: A stunning viral video shows an employee firmly debating about “toxic work culture” and “work-life balance” in offices. She made this video after having a small argument with her manager about overtime work. This has sparked discussions about what is expected in the workplace and mental health. She speaks out against the idea that long office hours are a good thing; employees shouldn't have to give up their personal time or even their serenity during meals to meet job demands.

Many younger professionals appreciated the clip because it was a bold attack on old-fashioned ideas. Many people online praise her for being honest and brave enough to establish limits. They also say this shows how office culture is changing over the years. The movie shows that more and more employees want companies that are understanding and flexible, with a focus on work-life balance.

What actually happened?

The video was shared three days ago on Instagram by a girl named Shatakshi Pandey on her account. She captioned the video with, "Dear X and Y generation this is the not so respectful request!"

In the video, she narrated, “Toh main abhi ghar waapis ja rahi hoon office se, aur meri jo reporting manager hain, unhone mujhe bola ki ‘thoda sa aur kaam hai Shatakshi, de raha hoon kar do.’ Maine unko kaha ‘Nahi sir, aaj mujhe time par nikalna hai.’”

“Time par hi nikalna hai, yeh nahi ki main jaldi jaana chahti hoon. Apne working hours complete karke hi jaa rahi hoon, extra nahi baithna chahti, kyunki aaj mera fasting hai,” she further said.

In the response, her manager said, “Tumhe pata hai kya, main kal raat train mein tha, subah 7 baje pahucha, aur 7:30 baje office bhi aa gaya, aur abhi 6:30 tak office mein hoon. Bhai theek hai, tumne apna itna time diya kaam ko, theek hai, tum chali jao ghar.”

The girl ended the video with, “Main yeh nahi samajh paa rahi hoon ki yeh psychology, yeh mentality, yeh conditioning kahaan se aa rahi hai. Insaan do waqt ki roti kamaane ke liye jaata hai, agar woh do waqt ki roti sukoon se nahi kha sakta, toh kya point hai? Zabardasti struggle ko glorify karna – why is this important? What the hell is this? Why do you have to glorify this? Mar-mar ke kaam karna – this is not something to be proud of. I don’t agree with this. I don’t care if you fire me from the job, but I am not okay with this.”

Published on: Friday, August 08, 2025, 01:37 PM IST