Firing employees for taking sick leave seems to be a growing phenomenon these days. People from different sectors have complained about being fired either on the day or soon after they took a sick leave.
A diabetic woman recently posted on Reddit how she was fired from her job after calling in sick for the day due to a medical emergency.
Now, an associate lawyer has posted on LinkedIn about how she experienced a toxic work environment at a law firm in Mumbai. She was apparently, fired from her internship at a law firm after calling in sick one day.
What Did The Lawyer Reveal?
In a LinkedIn post, the former intern explained the situation.
She started her post by writing, “I have been on the receiving end of toxic work culture during my one-month internship at a law firm.”
The LinkedIn user revealed how they’d moved cities to Mumbai just for this internship and that along with a new environment, got to their health and she had to take a day off due to an illness, however, the HR instead told them that their interview was terminated.
She wrote, “I had relocated from Pune to Mumbai specifically for this internship, and the new #environment, exertion, and change in season took a toll on my health- 10 days in the internship. After informing the HR early in the morning about taking a day off due to illness, the most unexpected and unwarranted thing happened – she messaged me that they could no longer accommodate me, and my internship was being terminated.”
She further wrote how “I was perplexed as I was diligently performing my duties, and no associates had any complaints about my work. When I called the HR to inquire about the reason for my termination, she had no justification to offer, merely stating that it was the partner’s decision.”
When she decided to approach a partner at the law firm to understand what happened and why she was fired she was met with an allegedly hostile reaction, “The next morning, I approached the partner to understand the rationale behind this abrupt termination, especially after I had relocated for this opportunity.
His response was shocking and dismissive – “Kya problem hai apko? Yeh mera firm hai, and mei jab chahu tab kisiko bhi uda sakta hun.” (What is your problem? It is my firm; I can fire anyone I want to.)
He further added, “Aap sirf intern ho, why are you asking so much? Koi contract nahi kiya hai apke sath. (You are just an intern; why are you asking so much? There is no contract with you.)”
Writing how “I couldn’t believe the sheer arrogance and lack of empathy in his words. I started questioning myself whether I did something so wrong” she decided to leave without saying anything more since she felt that any more conversation “would be futile” with the entire experience being “disturbing and saddening” for her.
Read More: Law Firm Partner Sends Kiss Emoji Everyday To Intern; Posts Expose Legal Industry Sexual Harassment
In her post, she also wrote that this wasn’t the first time she had issues at the firm stating “From the very first day, they seemed to have an issue with me. While other interns were promptly assigned positions, I was made to wait for an hour and a half at the reception. The HR even commented on my attire, despite others wearing similar clothing. I ignored these initial red flags.”
The user also revealed that apparently, the law firm had previously fired interns “for bizarre reasons or no reason.”
She further commented about how toxic work cultures are still very much a reality and how they can dishearten and discourage young professionals. The person wrote “Toxic work cultures are a harsh reality, and it’s disheartening how easy it is for some individuals to trample on employees, especially interns who have little power to stand up against such toxicity.
Conferences and discussions about mental well-being and positive work environments seem to hold little significance when implementing these principles is neglected. Employers need to understand that their success relies on their team, which includes individuals at every level.
The role of HR should be to foster a supportive and inclusive environment, not create obstacles for employees. When did HR become the biggest hindrance to employee well-being? This experience has left me emotionally frustrated and disheartened. It’s a stark reminder that toxic work cultures are very much present and we need better mechanisms to counter it.”
It was also unfortunate to see other people in the comments resonating with the original poster and saying how they had or are currently going through the same.
One user replied “Even though I am facing the same kinda toxic work culture in my internship but I can’t quit cause they will stop my completion letter and like the kinda toxicity I can relate to very well . Don’t know what to do”.
Another wrote “I can truly understand your feelings and emotions. Associates or people at the authoritative level in the firm nowadays think they can humiliate and talk however they want to the interns. They don’t have any empathy and humanity left anymore.”
This is not the first time that law firms in India have been called out for their toxic work culture, however, things don’t seem to be changing as fast as one would like.
What do you think reader? Are Indian law firms toxic? How can they improve their work environment? Let us know in the comments below.
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Hindustan Times, News Karnataka, The Daily Guardian
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Internship, Internship law firm, law firm, anxiety, law, law culture, lawyer, mental health, research, stress, toxic work culture, toxicity, work culture, indian legal interns, Legal Industry India, LinkedIn, LinkedIn post
Disclaimer: We do not hold any right, or copyright over any of the images used, these have been taken from Google. In case of credits or removal, the owner may kindly mail us.
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