 (6).png)
4 hours ago
1
ARTICLE AD BOX
Micromanagement has become one of the most common workplace concerns among employees. Several professionals enter their jobs with enthusiasm, only to find themselves under intense scrutiny, where every action is closely monitored. While such stories of micromanagement often emerge from office-based workplaces, have you ever heard of a manager bossing employees around from home?
An Indian woman has shared how a job interview left her disturbed after hearing the employer’s expectations. The employer highlighted “mandatory webcam surveillance” and 10-minute interval screenshots used to track "efficiency," adding that such restrictive work cultures hinder growth and create greater pressure than a traditional office environment.
‘Work from home should be flexible’
“I recently gave a job interview and one of their policies is just stuck in my head. It was all going well. There is a work-from-home role in which they wanted to keep track of our work,” Gurleen said in a video shared on Instagram.
She further explained that the company’s tracking system involved recording employees’ screens and monitoring them through webcams. “And on top of that, they will take your screenshots of working. Every 10 minutes, bro, I can't even sit still for 10 minutes,” she said.
Speaking about the work culture, she added, “And work from home should be flexible. I understand that productivity and tracking efficiency is very important, but like this, it feels more like torture to me.”
‘Hiring Humans or Robots!???’
She also revealed that her interest in the role faded after learning about the policy. “Such a restricted culture and micromanagement will never let me grow. This is more strict surveillance than in the office. I don't know if you would align with this type of job, but it was definitely not for me,” she said.
While sharing the video, Gurleen captioned it, “Hiring Humans or Robots!???”
Social media reacts
Social media users quickly reacted to the post. One person commented, “Send this reel to them, please.” Responding humourously, Gurleen replied, “It will be monitored too.” Another user wrote, “Itna strict bhi nahi hona tha.”
In a similar incident, a LinkedIn post went viral earlier this year after a manager asked an employee on sick leave to share his live location, claiming it was HR policy.
In the viral LinkedIn post, Pallavi Sugian, a social media marketer, had shared a screenshot of an alleged chat between a manager and an employee on sick leave.
“An employee asks for sick leave and the manager asks for live location. Let that sink in,” she noted. She said that the incident had made her pause and reflect on how trust was defined at workplaces.
Enraged by the lack of trust in employees, Sugian said, “Somewhere along the way, we started confusing management with monitoring and leadership with control.” She added, “If an organisation needs GPS proof to believe someone has a headache, the problem isn’t attendance, IT'S TRUST.”
She further said that workplace culture was not defined by policies written in PDFs. “It’s revealed in moments like these when empathy is tested and power dynamics show up quietly in WhatsApp chats,” she noted.
“Yes, accountability matters, but so does dignity,” she added.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
English (US) ·