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In India

White-collar jobs are slowly turning into blue-collar jobs (sorry — already turned). Especially compared to big tech companies, startups are now more common. They have started exploiting people.

1. No proper leave policies: I know a company - if you show up, they’ll pay you; if you take leave, it’s LOP. Then what’s the difference between a daily-wage laborer and you?

2. Multiple roles: Hired as a customer support executive, but asked to handle clerical tasks and HR responsibilities as well.

3. Micromanagement: If they don’t see you working, they assume you're not working. It doesn’t matter whether your tasks are being completed efficiently.

4. Less salary: Overtime work, underpaid - you can’t even survive on such a salary in metro cities like Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, etc. Plus, you don’t have time to build your own business. And if you're working with them, you're not allowed to freelance or take up personal work - because they don’t like seeing you grow outside the organization.

5. Office on Saturday: This is one of the worst parts - they don’t pay well but still expect you to work on Saturdays. Honestly, one day off (Sunday) may be enough for the body, but for mental health, you definitely need two days for proper refreshment.

6. Interview process: Regardless of the role (creative or technical), even for ₹10,000/month, there are extensive evaluation criteria.

Most companies lack empathy toward their employees - but are quick to exploit them. I'm not saying every startup has all the issues I mentioned, but most of them have at least one or more of these problems.

Last updated: July 17, 2025, 8:22 p.m.