Viral Post: A viral Reddit post about an encounter between an employee and his manager, who refused to give him a lunch break, has led to widespread debate on ego at work, bad work culture, and power play. The employee's courageous response to the unreasonable demand by his manager has struck a chord with many online.
The incident initially came to light in a viral Reddit thread with the heading "Stopped from having lunch break". The anonymous writer described how the frustrated and hungry employee decided to speak up instead of silently acquiescing.
The post reads, "My friend works in one of the middle size company and today he was going for his lunch break, somehow his manager ordered him to finish his work first, then go for lunch break, he was really hungry and out of hunger, when his manager denied him for lunch break, he got angry and said "khaana k liye hi toh kama raha hu, aur yahan aap mujhe khaana khaane se hi rok rahe ho" (T- I am earning so that i can have food, and here you're stopping me from having food) and just straight went for his lunch."
"Whole day his manager didn't speak to him, and now after hours he called me and asked if he said anything wrong, i told him "Nope, he did the right thing", but he fears because the manager can create problems for him in an indirect way. Although this is very common trick used by managers because they can't handle their little ego, they should really understand where they're crossing the line," the post further continues.
Netizens reaction
The post became very popular, appealing to internet users who commended the assertiveness.
One user commented, "Your friend is a brave man. Few years ago, I was in a similar situation. I still regret not being able to stand up for myself and letting my manager treat me like shit!"
Another user shared its story on the comment section, "Happened with me in my current company only but a different vertical. My manager called n said it’s important send it first then go to eat. I was in middle of eating , but I had to go and complete the task, I left my food in middle and when I came home I was crying like a baby. Then my mum said, “ Beta khaane ke liye hi kama ri hai and khaane bhi ni dere toh ese kaise chalega, then I started responding smartly to my manager."
A third user said, "He did the right thing but surely the manager did hold a grudge against him. They remember these things and use them at the right time."