An Indian IT worker shared a painful experience on social media that is creating strong feelings. The tech worker related how he perceived a lack of empathy in his workplace after losing his father in a Reddit post.

The employee stated he took five days off to spend with his father in the hospital. After his father died, the employee worked from home for the week so that he could attend to the rituals and provide support to his family. When he requested to work from home for another month so that he could stay with his grieving mother, his manager declined the request.

“I asked the client manager for 1 more month of WFH permission as my mom is alone in her hometown. He simply said, ‘finish the rituals and please plan to proceed ahead.’ It pretty much meant he wanted me to go back to the office,” the employee wrote. He also tried to set up a phone call with the manager, but received no response.

Feeling helpless and let down, the employee sought support and advice through Reddit. He was looking for help with how to deal with his own personal loss and the very demanding work situation.

His post resonated with many, and thousands replied. A lot of folks were furious about the total lack of compassion from the company, and others chimed in about similarly treated in difficult times.

One posted: “Very sorry for your loss. Don’t ask for permission- just tell them you need the time. Your family needs to come first.”

Another shared: “This is so cruel. When I was laid off my manager complained I took too many leaves, even if the last one was months ago to visit my parents.”

A third user commented, “Losing a parent is one of the hardest things we do as human beings. It is okay to be tired and stressed out. You need to be with your mom.”

Another user said, “The company is not going to shut down if you are gone for 10 days. But your family needs you now. You have to put your family first.”

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These comments opened up a larger conversation on how Indian companies deal with grief and hard personal times, and a lot of people are beginning to demand better policies and for employers to show more empathy during experiences of loss and emotional strain.

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