'Unprofessional To Sleep?' Startup Faces Backlash After Late-Night Work Call to Employee's Mother
A startup employee ignited a Reddit debate after his employer criticised him for sleeping after office hours. The situation escalated when colleagues contacted his mother during a late-night call to label his rest as 'unprofessional'. Users largely condemned the company's behaviour, urging the employee to establish firmer boundaries or seek a new job.
A recent discussion on Reddit has ignited a wider debate regarding professional boundaries, after a startup employee alleged that his employer questioned his professionalism for sleeping after his scheduled office hours. The incident, which involved the employer contacting the employee's mother during a late-night work call, has drawn significant criticism from online communities questioning expectations at early-stage firms.
The employee, who reports earning INR 23,000 per month with a standard 9 am to 6 pm office schedule, shared his experience after being pressured to work until 2 AM to meet a project deadline. Zepto CEO Aadit Palicha Defends Work-Life Balance Amid Accusations of Toxic Culture by Reddit Post.
The Incident: Sleep, Medication, and an Unscheduled Call
According to the employee's post, he had already completed a full day in the office when the team requested that staff continue working into the early morning hours. Exhausted and having taken medication, he opted to sleep rather than continue working. "Last night we had a deadline, and the team wanted everyone to keep working until around 2 AM. I had already spent the entire day in the office, and my eyes were hurting badly from staring at the screen. I had also taken medication, so I went to sleep," the employee wrote. While he was asleep, his team initiated a WhatsApp group call. When the phone continued to ring, his mother answered it. The employee stated that instead of seeking a status update, his colleagues criticised his absence to his mother, characterising his need for rest as "unprofessional".
"Instead of simply asking where I was, they told my mother that this is a full-time role, asked how I could be sleeping, and said it was a sign of unprofessionalism," the employee recounted. He added that the interaction left him feeling uncomfortable and questioning the appropriateness of his employer’s conduct.
Community Backlash and Calls for Boundaries
The employee further said, "That really made me uncomfortable. I understand that deadlines happen and sometimes extra work is required, but expecting someone to stay awake until 2 AM after already working a full office day - and then making those comments to my mother when she happened to answer the group call - felt inappropriate." The Reddit thread quickly gained traction, with most users siding with the employee and characterising the employer’s actions as a breach of professional conduct. Many commenters argued that the company’s decision to contact a family member regarding employment performance was highly inappropriate. One user advised, "Talking to your mother about anything except 'please tell him to contact the office urgently' is unprofessional." Others pointed toward the disparity between the compensation and the demands placed upon the employee. A commenter noted, "You pay me 23k a month for x hrs of work. Anything above that is unpaid overtime. Unless you are paying me overtime, I will utilise my personal time any way that I want." 'All This Happening in First 15 Days of Work': Reddit User Working With Gurgaon Startup Says He Was Fired Within 20 Days for Having 'Attitude' and Leaving Work on Time.
The employee is now considering his options, including whether to address the issue directly with management or begin searching for new employment. The incident has served as a flashpoint for broader frustrations regarding the "always-on" culture sometimes prevalent in early-stage startups.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 09, 2026 02:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
