The work culture division of the internet's outrage club had barely dropped their pitchforks pointed at the CEO who asked young professionals to work 18 hours a day, when along came the co-founder of a health-tech company with his "interview hacks" to "filter" people.
Pristyn Care co-founder Harsimarbir Singh's now-deleted post triggered many on social media, beyond LinkedIn, after he espoused making job-seeking candidates wait for 6 to 8 hours in office (to test their patience), regularly scheduling interviews for Sunday and late at night or early in the morning, and even asking candidates elsewhere in the country to show up in office the next day.
According to Mr Singh, these methods help him identify early risers, late workers, test their real-world thinking, their hustle, culture and patience, commitment and whether they are okay with long working hours.
Avoid working under Harsimarbir Singh at all costs. He is no less than a plague who will ruin your life in a matter of days.
— Sarsij Nayanam (@sarsij) September 2, 2022
Pro tip - Stop using LinkedIn as your daily career logbook. pic.twitter.com/7arlI0ulpe
Reactions to the post were swift and unsparing, with many accusing the entrepreneur of encouraging a toxic work culture.
Pristyn Care should mention this in their JD so that people never even apply for the job. pic.twitter.com/sdlsWt9all
— Amanpreet Singh Gulati (@amanpreet_27) September 2, 2022
List of organisations I shall never apply to unless my loved ones or I are starving:
— Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) September 2, 2022
1. Pristyn Care
2. pic.twitter.com/HZIhLr7uPY
Honestly if you work at Pristyn Care, feel free to DM me, I'm happy to help you find jobs elsewhere.
— Arnav Gupta 💉💉💉 (@championswimmer) September 1, 2022
This sounds like a slave owner not a company founder.
Apart from the business case studies everything else is bonafide "harrassment" category. https://t.co/BZPZE2c5XG
Don't apply to work in such companies if you have even an iota of self-respect. pic.twitter.com/l9AoBZkVGq
— The Educated Moron (@EducatedMoron) September 1, 2022
The controversy over Harsimarbir Singh's suggestions come hot on the heels of one involving Bombay Shaving Company CEO Shantanu Deshpande, who was slammed for an online post advising freshers to put in 18 hours at work in the first few years of their career.
In a LinkedIn post, Mr Deshpande had asked young employees to "worship your work" and said work-life balance is not important in the early stages of one's career. "Don't do random rona-dhona. Take it on the chin and be relentless. You will be way better for it," he had said.
The magnitude of the backlash became all too apparent on Saturday when the CEO announced he would quit posting on the social networking website, adding that his post has been misunderstood.
"To those who were hurt by my post - apologies for the same. I recognise the need for nuance and context. This interview last evening possibly captured my point of view better. If time permits, do watch it," Mr Deshpande wrote in what he called his "last post".
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