BENGALURU: A young HR intern’s anonymous account of emotional exhaustion and alleged mistreatment inside a Bengaluru-based software firm has drawn widespread attention online, prompting renewed debate about workplace culture, mental-health safeguards, and the vulnerability of interns navigating their first corporate roles.
A Cry for Help From Inside a Software Firm
A 21-year-old HR operations intern from Bengaluru has described an escalating mental-health struggle on Reddit, alleging that a toxic work environment and disproportionate workload have pushed him toward burnout. The intern, who earns ₹10,000 per month, said the conditions have left him overwhelmed to the point of crying
“every day when I go to bed,” adding that he feels “lost in life and working a dead-end job.”
His post quickly reverberated across social media platforms, drawing hundreds of responses from young professionals who recognized their own experiences in his account. Many urged him to document workplace interactions, reach out to HR escalation channels, and prioritize his mental well-being. The story has tapped into a broader conversation about the fragility of early-career workers in high-pressure environments and the blurred lines between learning opportunities and exploitative labor.
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Overwork, Uneven Responsibilities, and the Desire to Leave
In his account, the intern described working constantly under intense pressure, often taking on responsibilities he says align more closely with the workloads of full-time employees earning several times his stipend.
“The amount of work they give me is more than what an average person earning 10 LPA would do,” he wrote, adding that even colleagues at higher pay grades “do the same exact thing as me for more salary.”
The mismatch, he said, has led to mounting mental strain that has made the role “unbearable.” He is now seeking advice on whether he can resign before the completion of his three-month internship without jeopardizing his completion certificate, which he views as essential for future opportunities. He also claimed that several other interns are considering leaving early for similar reasons, citing an “overload of work and toxicity of the company.”
Conflicts With Co-Workers and Divergent Management Styles
The intern’s story also centers on interpersonal tensions within his team. He alleged that one co-worker “blames me for everything… gives me so much workload and then blames me for not doing the workload,” while others fail to respond or follow up on assignments. He described stark differences between two supervisors: one “understanding,” the other allegedly dismissive and unapproachable.
He recounted an incident in which the second supervisor, and others around her, ignored him as he tried to raise a work issue.
“She just ignored me, like she didn’t want to listen to me. She was scrolling through her phone pretending she didn’t hear me,” he wrote.
The episode, he said, exemplified the broader environment one where interns feel unheard, overwhelmed, and unable to advocate for themselves.
A Broader Reckoning Over Mental Health and Workplace Expectations
As the post spread, online discussion broadened beyond the intern’s individual experience, touching on systemic gaps in workplace protections for young employees. Commenters emphasized the need for clearer guidelines around internship workloads, structured mentorship, and accessible mental-health resources within companies. Others highlighted the importance of documenting workplace interactions to prevent retaliation or misrepresentation.
For many readers, the intern’s narrative underscored a growing tension within India’s fast-moving tech sector: the push for efficiency and output versus the emotional toll on early-career workers who often lack bargaining power. While the identity of the company remains undisclosed, the account has renewed calls for organizations to take more responsibility for the well-being of interns—often the youngest and least empowered members of corporate hierarchies.
