With Diwali just days away, the festive spirit has spread across the country. However, in such an atmosphere, a post on a social networking platform, Reddit, has taken the internet by storm and enraged Netizens.
The post shared in the Reddit community, Indian Workplace, talks about the experience of an employee at TCS who had their approved Diwali leave cancelled by their team lead at the last minute.
The post, which included screenshots of the internal chat, has sparked a broader discussion about workplace toxicity and the rigid leave policies often seen in Indian corporate environments.
According to the post, the team lead informed the team that the previously approved leave on October 22 would now be treated as a half-day, and the leave for October 23 had been cancelled altogether.
So we are not even allowed to enjoy Diwali Leaves. Welcome to TCS.
byu/SufficientMaize634 inIndianWorkplace
The message reportedly read: “Hi everyone, I’ve updated the leaves for the team on the 22nd – it will now be a half-day leave. The team is expected to be available in the first half of the day. I’m also cancelling your leave for the 23rd. If you’ve already submitted it in the system, you can use it on another day. Please ping me if you have any concern.”
The employee responded, “I’m not even in the city – how can you cancel it now? We planned this in advance. Also, I don’t take unplanned leaves frequently. You can check my records with HR.”
Netizens Frustrated With Indian Corporate Culture
The incident has triggered outrage among social media users, many of whom shared their own experiences of leave cancellations and micromanagement during festive seasons.
One Redditor commented, “These are typical Indian Managers, who think that they will get the whole year’s work done on the festival day only. Senseless people. US, Europe people go on holiday for 2–3 weeks every year on Christmas, but these Indian managers just ruin the work culture.”
Another user expressed frustration, saying, “We don’t run companies, we run slave factories.” The comment, which resonated with many, reflected the sentiment that Indian corporate environments often undervalue employee well-being and personal time.
Several users compared the attitude of Indian managers with their international counterparts. “The foreign managers, under whom I worked, were much more understanding. Never faced any leave issue, even unplanned ones were approved without trouble,” another commenter wrote, pointing to what they perceive as a systemic issue in local managerial practices.
Calls for Change in Corporate Mindset
The viral post has reignited conversations about the importance of respecting work-life balance and improving corporate culture in India’s IT industry. Many employees expressed that while firms highlight employee welfare and flexibility in public communications, internal practices often tell a different story.
One commenter recounted a personal experience: “Once my manager tried the same trick of cancelling my leaves. I told him to reimburse my flights and hotel bookings and compensate for the emotional impact it would cause my family. He didn’t say a word after that.”
The Reddit discussion has become a platform for collective venting, but it also underscores a larger truth: that despite India’s growing prominence in the global IT sector, its workplace culture continues to struggle with empathy, autonomy, and respect for employees’ personal lives.
