A woman claimed her CEO personally messaged her on WhatsApp after she left work just 10 minutes early, leaving her questioning whether such workplace monitoring is normal.

The incident was shared on Reddit's r/IndianWorkplace in a post titled, "My CEO Texted Me for Leaving 10 Minutes Early." The employee described her experience shortly after joining the company full-time, saying the episode made her realise how different working life was from what she had expected.

In the post, she said she left the office at 5:43 pm, just 10 minutes before the end of her workday. Soon afterwards, she received a WhatsApp message from the company's CEO asking, "What time did you leave today?" She replied by telling him she had left at 5:43 pm, sharing a screenshot of the conversation alongside her post.

The employee said the incident felt particularly frustrating because, according to her, the company had previously taken 17 days to reimburse work-related expenses that she had paid for herself despite repeated reminders.

She also alleged that while managers regularly took hour-long breaks and other employees stepped away for around 30 minutes without issue, she rarely took proper breaks herself. Yet, she claimed, the only time she left slightly early, she was immediately questioned by the CEO.

Describing herself as a Gen Z employee who had only recently started working full-time, she wrote that the experience made her feel that corporate life was "way tougher" than she had imagined.

The woman also shared another workplace concern, writing that her boss had pressured her to hire an unpaid social media intern. According to the post, she was told to recruit someone without pay or else she would have to create all the company's social media reels herself. She added that she worked in HR.

Take a look at the post here:

The post prompted many Reddit users to weigh in with their own workplace experiences. Several people said companies that focus more on employees' timings than the quality of their work often create unhealthy work environments, and advised her to gain experience before looking for a better opportunity elsewhere.

Others shared similar stories from startups, including being asked to take on additional responsibilities despite already commuting long distances or working extended hours.

Many users also felt that the CEO personally messaging an employee over leaving 10 minutes early reflected excessive micromanagement rather than effective leadership, while others simply suggested that the workplace was not worth staying in and encouraged her to switch jobs when possible.

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