Indian Engineer Receives Work Call for 6 AM Shift at 1:30 AM, Sparking Online Outrage
Indian Engineer Receives Work Call for 6 AM Shift at 1:30 AM, Sparking Online Outrage
An Indian engineer’s late-night work call has ignited a storm of criticism on social media, with users labeling the incident as “ridiculous,” “toxic,” and “unprofessional.”
Vinit Patil, a support engineer, recently took to Reddit to share his bewildering experience. He recounted how he was abruptly awakened by a call from his senior colleague at 1:30 AM, instructing him to report to work by 6 AM—a shift change he was informed of less than five hours before it began.
Patil, who had wrapped up his previous day’s work at 9 PM, missed the call as he was asleep, with his phone lying beside him. His regular shift was scheduled to start at 7:30 AM, leaving him concerned about potential repercussions for not responding to the unexpected call.
“Last night, I received a phone call from my senior colleague informing me that I needed to be at the office by 6 AM, even though my shift starts at 7:30 AM. I didn’t pick up the call because I was asleep. I only discovered it when I woke up at 6 AM and checked my phone, wondering what the consequences might be,” Vinit wrote in his post.
The post quickly went viral, with Reddit users expressing outrage at the situation. Many condemned the last-minute demand as “unprofessional,” while others urged Vinit to consider resigning.
“Ridiculous. At 1:30 AM, he expects you to join at 6 AM? What kind of unprofessional behavior is that? I’d report it to the project manager,” one user commented.
Another sarcastically advised, “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. Just go around at 9, smile, apologize, and say you were asleep when the call came in. In India, things often work like that.”
One user praised Vinit for not answering the call, warning that doing so might have set a harmful precedent: “Good that you did not pick up. You would have been tagged as ‘the one who picks up at any time,’ which isn’t good for your future. While it’s okay to go the extra mile sometimes, this was way too unprofessional.”
The incident has sparked a wider conversation online about work-life balance and the expectations placed on employees, particularly in demanding support roles.
