2024-12-04 14:31:08 :
Work-life balance and work culture have taken center stage as ongoing discussions around these issues continue online, with many employees turning to social media to make accusations. A post on Reddit claiming to be a Zepto employee accused the delivery startup of a “toxic work culture” and published unfavorable “internal opinions.”
Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha blithely tried to dismiss the accusations in a post on social media site X (formerly Twitter), seemingly in response to the Reddit complaint.
Earlier on December 4, Palicha, 22, wrote: “Nothing against work-life balance. In fact, I recommend it to all my competitors :)” (sic)
The Hindustan Times reports that Zepto has yet to formally respond to the content of Palicha’s post or the allegations made in the December 3 Reddit post.
Work-life balance under the scanner
Work-life balance and company culture have been the focus of online discussion since reports emerged in September 2024 that a young Ernst & Young employee died due to alleged overwork just four months after joining the company.
Anita Augustine, mother of the late CA Anna Sebastian Perayil, claimed that her daughter was “physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted” due to the heavy workload. The incident also sparked backlash over Perayil’s death from several industry professionals and prompted social media to share Augustine’s letter to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani due to an alleged toxic work culture.
In her letter, Augustine explained how she witnessed her daughter being under an overwhelming workload and struggling to meet the unreasonable expectations of her seniors. Anna allegedly began experiencing chest pains, which doctors said were the result of her busy schedule.
Anita’s letter also claimed that no one from EY attended her daughter’s funeral or spoke to her about the tragedy. In its official response, EY said it was “deeply saddened” and “will continue to look for ways to improve and deliver a healthy workplace”.
Also later in November, Daksh Gupta, the Indian-American CEO of San Francisco-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup Greptile, was criticized for the company’s 84-hour work week. And make headlines. Despite the criticism, Gupta has doubled down on the company’s policies regarding employee work hours and denounced hate directed at him online.
Many questioned whether Gupta had learned from his previous responses about why work-life balance is crucial, while others were more supportive, saying it was each candidate’s choice to accept a job.
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