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- Pradipta Das, a former Big 4 employee didn’t have a fun experience working with the firm.
- He took to LinkedIn to share how he was mentally harassed at the workplace by his Manager.
- It is high time that organizations consider their employees’ well-being first.
Background
During my tenure at a Big 4 firm in Mumbai, I encountered a distressing situation while working on a GST compliance project with one of India’s largest private banks.
My manager had a rule – Any email we sent to the bank’s employees had to be reviewed by him.
With my eight years of work experience, this level of micromanagement seemed excessive and stifling.
But, I always followed this rule, however….
Micromanagement Woes
One day I sent a normal email to some users and forgot to get it reviewed by my manager.
The only mistake was that if anyone would open the Excel attachment, the 2nd tab would open instead of the 1st tab, as I had closed it that way.
An honest mistake, right?
There was no issue, no escalation. But my manager came down to the bank floor and shouted at me in front of the customers.
It was not just humiliating for me, but even for the Big 4 firm I worked for!
Unprofessional Behavior
I feel that he could have taken me to a room and given me a piece of his mind, but instead shouted at me completely unprofessionally.
Working under him was a stressful situation for me. Kaam karne ka saara ‘𝗨𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗴’ chala gaya tha.
I told him I would report this to the Ethics and Compliance department of my company…And I did.
Raised the matter with Big 4’s Ethics Team
Guess what? Nothing happened.
He had a ‘good relationship’ with his immediate senior and the incident was brushed under the carpet.
It undermined the organization’s Code of Conduct and ethical standards.
Code of Conduct, Ethics, etc. died that day.
I wanted to report this incident to the then-partner but couldn’t muster the courage. So, I changed my team, instead.
Impact on Mental Health
Working under such conditions became a source of panic for me and made me question my ability to perform my job effectively.
Final Reflections
It is not about working long hours per day. It is about the work culture that can drive people insane and affect mental health.
Managers get pressure from their managers and they simply pass on that pressure to their reportees.
Just remember: Suicide is not the solution. Please don’t do what the 25 year young soul at McKinsey & Company had to do.
Laddha who was a Chemical Engineering graduate from IIT, and an MBA from IIM, was reportedly facing immense pressure, which ultimately led to this devastating outcome.
I am assuming he faced intense ‘pressure’ at work and not implying he faced mental harassment though.
Moral of the story
Even if you don’t have an exit plan, you are getting a lower salary, or have to compromise on your salary, don’t stay in a place that plays with your mental health.
I urge others facing similar challenges not to suffer in silence and to prioritize their well-being above all else.
It’s a cautionary tale highlighting the need to stand up against toxic work environments, even if it means sacrificing job security or financial stability.
Suicide is never the solution!
Domineering is a human tendency. Every manager is wary of the expertise and knowledge of the next generations and scared of the possible loss of their power and position.
Power disproportionate to the age(maturity)of the first level managers can be seen as one reasons behind this culture.
Isolation of all people related matters with HR has either kept managers away from training in people skills or make them see people skills as unnecessary.
Race for perfection , excellence unmindful of team health can be seen as another reason .
Quick promotions, rise in salary is a driving factor.
Wonder what this generation of professionals would do after 40?
God bless
In all the big4 there is crushing environment, it is a common parlance that they suck the blood out of you, always under pressure