"My Boss Is a Lunatic": Indian Employee Shares Shocking Tale of Toxic Workplace

A toxic office work environment can have significant negative effects on employees, both mentally and physically, as well as on the organization as a whole. If your boss doesn’t provide direction or feedback, you’re left second-guessing every move. That uncertainty breeds anxiety, as you’re constantly wondering if you’re meeting expectations—or if those expectations even exist.

A Reddit user shared a shocking office story in its post of her facing toxic behaviour of her boss. In a social media post, she gave a title: "My boss is a lunatic - where do I even start?" She began with a silent work environment as her boss monitored staff using a CCTV camera. 

My boss is a lunatic - where do I even start?
byu/Icy_Diet8893 inIndianWorkplace

The employee then opened up about the darker, more controlling side of her boss’s behavior. She explained that her boss compulsively watches the office CCTV feed on her phone, texting the group chat to question employees’ actions the instant they start chatting with coworkers. “One time, a colleague stopped by my desk for a quick two-minute talk, and she immediately messaged us, asking if it was really necessary and threatening to rearrange our seats to keep us separated,” the Reddit user shared. The latest dictate? A blanket ban on all employee conversations.

The employee also claimed that while staff were barred from wearing shoes in the office—supposedly for hygiene reasons—stray dogs were allowed to wander around, leaving messes of poop, pee, and vomit all over the place. She described a grim moment when she accidentally stepped in dog urine. On top of that, she said her boss would chew out employees over petty things like high electricity bills. Worse still, she alleged that workers faced random pay cuts and legal notices with little rhyme or reason.

Also Read | Work from Office Proves Better for Mental Health Than Work from Home, Study Finds.

Several users chimed in with shock, anger, and sympathy, all urging her to ditch the job and get out of that toxic mess ASAP. One user posted, “Leave soon???? If I were you, I’d be out the door already—honestly, I’d sprint or just vanish. I don’t know if you’re stuck because of money or other pressures, but I’m pretty damn sure this job isn’t worth it.”

Another weighed in, “LOL, this is peak small-company dictator vibes. Seen it tons of times—classic setup. The founder treats it like their personal kingdom, zero professionalism. If she’s the ‘owner,’ don’t waste your breath trying to change anything, and don’t expect her to own up to it. Run. (And I’m an old-timer who almost never says ‘run’ around here.)”