Indian corporations often resemble a never-ending blame game, with employees accusing managers of micromanaging and managers complaining about having to ‘babysit grown adults’.

However, social media, which is usually abuzz with employees ranting about their managers, witnessed a rare turn of events; this time, a manager called out Indian workers, whom he said he has to chase for even the bare minimum.

In a viral Reddit post, the manager exclaimed: “Sometimes being a manager in India feels like babysitting grown adults.”

In an elaborate vent post, he said, “I stepped into a managerial role thinking it’d be about strategy, mentoring, guiding a team to hit goals. Instead, half my day is chasing people for the bare minimum.”

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The manager claimed that folks ghost stand-up calls and then ping him at 11 PM with “urgent” updates.

“Deadlines? Apparently optional unless I sit breathing down their necks. Ownership? Rare. If something goes wrong, it’s always someone else’s fault,” he said.

The cherry on top, the manager said, is that HR loves preaching “employee well-being” but expects managers to somehow absorb all the extra load when people slack.

“I’m not saying everyone’s like this. Some of my team are rockstars and I’d fight for them any day. But the culture of jugaad + ‘chalta hai’ attitude makes managing so draining,” he shared.

The manager also acknowledged that sometimes he feels like the villain in everyone’s story—“Employees think you’re pushing too hard, seniors think you’re not pushing hard enough.”

“How do you balance being empathetic without being taken for a ride?” the Redditor asked for suggestions.

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Netizens were stunned to hear the manager’s side of the story for a change, and acknowledged that Indians have poor work ethics. However, several social media users said that the viral rant post is just a classic example of the blame game.

“Indian worker and manager deserve each other,” a user said, while another added, “A match made in heaven.”

“Work ethics of every Indian is poor,” exclaimed a user.

Another user said, “Hahaha.., the classic what-came-first-chicken-or-egg problem!”

Offering a suggestion to the manager, a user said, “Being practical with a human touch helps. After all, a manager has a defined set of responsibilities. You can’t 100% stick to that, but you can’t be more empathetic as few juniors tend to misuse this flexibility.”

“Go lenient on top performers, it’s ok. Not always but most of the time they show professionalism. Go harsh on people who are not delivering or adding any value. That’s how I try to manage,” the user added.

Another netizen, who said he was not a manager, said, “I am not in a managerial role, but I have seen this happen very closely with my manager. You seem like a really kind and humane manager, which is great for the people who work under you. But people do tend to take that for granted, and not everyone deserves the same gentle treatment.”

“If you are looking for a way that won’t upset any of your team members, I honestly don’t think that’s possible. You may look bad to some of those lazy ass, irresponsible employees, but that’s not your fault. Otherwise, you’ll end up suffering from higher management because of them,” the user added.

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“That’s why I never want this type of promotion. I switch to similar-level roles and get a 35-40% hike every year, and now I earn the same salary as a manager at the junior level. It’s just that I don’t really care about career growth. I live in a money-and-corporate double-standard world,” another user said.

In what netizens deemed as a “golden advice,” a netizen, who is also a manager, said, “You have to balance a good and a bad side. Those who report to me know what lengths I go to when they need my help. When reasonable, they can ask me for multiple days off and I won’t question them.”

“At the same time, I know they fear me when they fail to meet expectations (without a reasonable explanation). Too much on either extreme can be detrimental. You neither should be seen as an authoritarian, nor as a doormat,” he added.