Imagine your mother-in-law suffering a scooter accident, unable to move or care for herself. You request to work from home for a month, not even taking leave, just remote work. Your response? A formal meeting to deny your request.
This isn’t hypothetical. It’s the reality faced by countless employees in Indian work culture, especially when requesting work-from-home during family emergencies.
A Reddit user shared that after a serious scooter accident left their mother-in-law with a fractured arm and her brother bruised and swollen, a family member working in Bangalore’s IT sector requested temporary work-from-home permission. Despite submitting MRI scans and a police report as proof, the company denied the request, citing “limited bandwidth” in the team.
Meanwhile, the injured uncle was given only two days off before being instructed to return to work, still in pain and relying on family members for daily transport.
The Reddit thread revealed multiple accounts of corporate insensitivity:
The Sound Engineer’s Story: One user described how their brother, a talented sound engineer, had part of his finger severed in an accident. After a week of surgeries, his employer expected him back in 10 days. When he couldn’t return after three days, he was laid off, despite being a top performer.
Law Sector Employees: Another comment highlighted lawyers working 70–80 hours a week for under ₹10 lakhs annually, leaving barely 25–30 hours for essential life activities like cooking, cleaning, and self-care.
Telecom Industry Workers: One Redditor shared that their father was let go from a leading telecom company after 25 years of service due to health complications. The loss of employment also meant losing health insurance coverage, creating cascading challenges for the family.
Several systemic factors contribute to India’s harsh work culture:
Limited Employee Protection Laws: Unlike Western countries with mandatory sick leave and family care provisions, Indian labor laws leave significant gaps.
Oversupply of Labor: Millions compete for limited positions, emboldening companies to impose harsh conditions.
Short-term Productivity Focus: Immediate output is prioritized over long-term employee retention and well-being.
Culture of Overwork: Glorifying extreme work hours has become a societal norm, with many employees bragging about salary packages instead of work-life balance.
Indifference during family crises has tangible consequences:
Mental Health Strain: Employees face severe stress, anxiety, and burnout when choosing between family care and job security.
Reduced Productivity: Stressed, unhappy workers are prone to errors and reduced creativity.
High Turnover: Companies lose experienced employees and incur high recruitment costs.
Reputational Damage: Social media amplifies stories of corporate callousness, affecting employer branding.
Not all companies are indifferent. Reddit users highlighted instances where managers:
Adjusted onboarding dates to secure health insurance for a sick parent.
Allowed extended work-from-home during family crises.
Provided mental health support and counseling leave.
Showed flexibility without demanding excessive documentation.
These examples prove that empathy and business success can coexist.
As one Reddit commenter noted: “You are irreplaceable to your family.” No job, no matter how prestigious or well-paying, is worth sacrificing health or abandoning family during vulnerable moments.
The crisis of empathy in Indian work culture is not just about individual companies, it’s a systemic issue. Until organizations recognize employees as human beings with families, emergencies, and limits, stories like these will continue to surface.
The question isn’t whether companies can afford empathy during family emergencies, it’s whether they can afford not to.
(Rh/VK)