Techie experiences burnout in 60 days due to bullying manager, compares work culture to a 'pressure cooker'

A young IT employee recently took to Reddit to share a deeply personal account of his distressing experience working at a well-known product-based multinational company (MNC) through a placement by his parent organization — a medium-sized startup. In his emotional post, he opened up about how the high-pressure work culture and toxic environment at the client location severely affected his mental well-being.

Having spent just over two months in what was supposed to be a three-year commitment, he described this short stint as the most mentally exhausting chapter of his professional journey so far.

"I’ve Never Felt This Drained"

In his post, the software professional explained, “I’ve been stationed at a major MNC, deployed via my parent firm, a mid-level startup. Even though it’s only been a little more than two months, I can confidently say this period has left me more emotionally worn out than any previous job.”

He went on to describe the intense psychological burden he and his teammate have been shouldering. “I’m posted here along with one other colleague, and both of us are constantly battling overwhelming stress and anxiety. Recently, I’ve even started facing physical symptoms that resemble panic attacks.”

Long Hours, Little Break, and Constant Pressure

According to his account, each workday kicks off at 10 in the morning and stretches well into the evening, often wrapping up around 8:30 PM. “Our break time — including both lunch and tea — barely amounts to an hour. And despite these long hours, our manager had the audacity to ask me why I left early yesterday,” he wrote.

Adding to the stress, he mentioned that daily 11:30 AM meetings — which are supposed to be team check-ins — feel more like interrogations. “The manager raises his voice regardless of how well we’ve performed, and keeps warning us about escalations over the tiniest issues,” he said, calling the atmosphere "suffocating" and "unreasonably demanding."

Weekends? What Weekends?

The techie noted that the intense expectations don’t end on weekdays. “We’re expected to be on call even on weekends. There’s absolutely no space to decline or even ask questions,” he said, labeling the overall culture as oppressive and completely dismissive of work-life boundaries.

“I’ve worked in various teams before, but nothing has ever made me feel this mentally shattered. These past two months have drained me more than the previous three years combined,” he wrote.

A Toxic Management Style

Without naming anyone specifically, he offered a sharp critique of his team leads and managers. “They’re over 35, seem burned out themselves, constantly dragging family baggage into the workplace, and remain glued to the office for more than 10 hours a day — even on weekends.”

“Why I Can’t Quit”

As for why he hasn’t left yet, he shared that he had signed a binding three-year agreement when he joined the company. “Coming from a non-IT background with barely any technical expertise, I didn’t have many choices at the time.”

Though he refrained from sharing more details due to the emotional toll, he concluded his post by saying, “I just needed to get this off my chest. This is, without a doubt, the worst experience I’ve had in the corporate world.”