An intern recounted her experience of being terminated from an internship shortly after relocating from Pune to Mumbai. She revealed that her dismissal occurred following a period of sick leave.
Sharing the incident she took to LinkedIn explaining the incident, “I have been on the receiving end of toxic work culture during my one-month internship at a law firm. From the very first day, they seemed to have an issue with me. While other interns were promptly assigned positions, I was made to wait for an hour and a half at the reception.”
“The #HR even commented on my attire, despite others wearing similar clothing. I ignored these initial red flags. I had relocated from #Pune to hashtag #Mumbai specifically for this hashtag #internship, and the new hashtag #environment, exertion, and change in hashtag #season took a toll on my health- 10 days in the internship”, she added.
She further said, “After informing the HR early in the morning about taking a day off due to illness, the most unexpected and unwarranted thing happened – she messaged me that they could no longer accommodate me, and my internship was being terminated.”
“I was perplexed as I was diligently performing my duties, and no associates had any complaints about my work. When I called HR to inquire about the reason for my termination, she had no justification to offer, merely stating that it was the partner’s decision”, she said.
Explaining the incident as an Intern she added, “The next morning, I approached the partner to understand the rationale behind this abrupt termination, especially after I had relocated for this opportunity. His response was shocking and dismissive – “Kya problem hai apko? Yeh mera firm hai, and mei jab chahu tab kisiko bhi uda sakta hun. Aap sirf intern ho, why are you asking so much? Koi #contract nahi kiya hai apke sath”
“I couldn’t believe the sheer arrogance and lack of hashtag #empathy in his words. I started questioning myself whether I did something so wrong. It became evident that further hashtag #conversation would be futile, so I simply said “okay” and left. Later on, I got to know that the firm has similarly fired interns previously for bizarre reasons or no reason”, she added.
Also Watch: How to Improve Employee Performance and Keep Them Motivated: Marc Effron
“Toxic work cultures are a harsh reality, and it’s disheartening how easy it is for some individuals to trample on employees, especially interns who have little power to stand up against such toxicity. Conferences and discussions about mental well-being and positive work environments seem to hold little significance when implementing these principles is neglected. Employers need to understand that their success relies on their team, which includes individuals at every level. The role of HR should be to foster a supportive and inclusive environment, not create obstacles for employees. When did HR become the biggest hindrance to employee well-being?”, she added.
“This experience has left me emotionally frustrated and disheartened. It’s a stark reminder that toxic work cultures are very much present and we need better mechanisms to counter it”, she concluded.
Note: We are also on WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google News, and YouTube, to get the latest news updates, Subscribe to our Channels. WhatsApp– Click Here, Google News– Click Here, YouTube – Click Here, and LinkedIn– Click Here.
