A man took to LinkedIn not only to share his “unfortunate experience” with his former employer but also to call out the “unethical practices” he encountered. Taking to LinkedIn, Ankit Mahajan explained that his journey with the company began on a positive note but soon turned toxic. He alleged that the company’s work culture affected his mental health so much so that he had to resign with immediate effect to protect his “dignity and peace of mind”.
Man calls out company’s ‘unethical practices’
“Sharing my unfortunate experience….I usually keep my professional journey positive on LinkedIn, but today I feel compelled to share my experience due to the treatment I [have] received…,” Mahajan said on LinkedIn.
He claimed that he was subjected to “continuous harassment and threats,” “personal insults”, “unethical hiring practices”, and “excessive workload with low compensation”.
According to him, his reporting manager allegedly forced him to remain available 24/7, launched unwarranted attacks on his family, and belittled him because of his family background. “I was instructed to mislead candidates by falsely presenting contract roles as long-term/full-time,” he alleged, before adding, “Despite my designation, I was forced to handle tasks aligned with much higher-level roles.”
“This toxic environment impacted my health, mental well-being, and caused stress and sleepless nights. I eventually had to resign immediately for my dignity and peace of mind,” the LinkedIn post further read.
He even tagged the company in his post, along with the investors, urging them to investigate the company’s work culture. He warned that such behaviour not only harms the organisation’s reputation but also negatively impacts the mental health of its employees.
‘Toxic work culture’
Right after his “toxic work culture” post on LinkedIn, he received an email from the company accusing him of “defaming” them and “acting in bad faith”. “They also indirectly hinted that my full & final settlement could be delayed if I don’t comply,” Mahajan wrote in a post he later shared on Reddit.
He added, “I feel like they’re trying to silence me instead of taking action against the manager who harassed me.”
‘Issue stands closed but…’
In his follow-up post, he attached screenshots of emails, claiming that the company is pressuring him to delete his LinkedIn post.
While Mahajan stated that the “issue stands closed” from his end, he maintained his right to put forth his personal experience, which had left him financially dependent on his parents. In the email screenshots, he communicated that he was willing to make edits if any part of his post was “incorrect or defamatory”.
He also offered to publish a follow-up post on LinkedIn, stating that the matter had been resolved. “This way, there is no ambiguity left for readers, while still respecting my right to share my own experience.”
Company’s response to his emails
The company, per the screengrabs of email, argued that Mahajan had never filed a formal complaint against his manager before resigning, and that it had nonetheless taken serious action against him.
“Without concrete proof, your post not only misrepresents facts but also casts aspersions on the organisation’s integrity, creating a false impression that the company condones inappropriate conduct, which is categorically untrue,” the email stated.
Mahajan’s point-by-point rebuttal
Mahajan countered that his LinkedIn post reflected his “personal and factual experience” during his tenure and was never intended to defame or malign the company or any individual. He added that he had raised his concerns internally long before resigning and had documentation to support his claims. He urged the company to treat the matter as closed, emphasising the toll it had taken on his mental health.
Company’s response to his email
The company argued that tagging stakeholders in a negative post contradicted his claim of “good faith”. “Irrespective of intent, the appropriate course of action is to remove the post entirely to support your own agreement of closure of the matter.”
The company also said that it didn’t receive any complaints from him via official grievance channels. “Closure must be entire, mutual and consistent. Keeping a public post live while asserting that the matter is closed creates ambiguity and leaves the organisation exposed to reputational risk, forcing continued communication that you now wish to avoid,” the company stated.
‘Delete LinkedIn post or face notice’
In his latest post on Reddit, Mahajan revealed that the company is threatening him with legal action if he does not delete the LinkedIn post within 24 hours.
“It has been over 24 hours since our last email, and we have yet to receive a response from you… [We] hoped that you would either address the matter by deleting the LinkedIn post or share the necessary corroborative evidence. Unfortunately, no action has been taken from your side so far…. we are granting you an additional 24 hours to provide the documented proof/evidence which you claim to have shared with the management or remove the defamatory post aimed at damaging the company’s reputation and confirm in writing that it has been deleted,” the company’s latest email read.
It added, “If we do not receive a response within the stipulated timeframe, the organisation will be left with no choice but to initiate appropriate legal proceedings without any further notice.”
FinancialExpress.com has reached out to the company via LinkedIn, and a response will be added to this article as and when we receive one. We didn’t receive a response at the time of publishing this article.
‘Seek legal help,’ suggest Reddit users
Mahajan turned to Reddit for help, and as expected, users didn’t disappoint.
One suggested, “Connect with Labour Law Advisor (LLA) for further legal and other help.”
Another said, “You don’t need to give them any evidence. Go talk to a lawyer. There are no judges to ask for evidence.”
“Ask them for Mental damages, and if they are not willing to, then the compensation can be settled in court,” read a third comment.
A fourth posted, “If you’re right, truthful and fair… Don’t let them run over you. Everyone of us could be you. I’m with you on this one,” before adding, “As individuals we are nothing, if people stood together and had each other’s back this wouldn’t happen. It doesn’t take much; any type of support counts.”
Disclaimer: This story is based on posts shared on LinkedIn and Reddit. The details, opinions, and statements quoted herein belong solely to the original poster and do not reflect the views of FinancialExpress.com. We have not independently verified the claims.