"Hindi Fluency, Smoke/Drink Culture": Reddit User Outlines "Unspoken, Toxic" Rules At Indian Corporates

Reddit has become a popular platform for employees to share their job struggles, office experiences, and workplace concerns. Various subreddits have emerged where employees can anonymously share their stories, seek advice, and connect with others who face similar challenges. Now, a Reddit user shared his account of toxic workplace culture at corporate and startup companies in India. The Redditor penned down a long post, outlining the "unspoken" rules that according to him define the toxic culture in Indian corporates.

"Four years. Three unicorn startups. Multiple cities. And yet, here I am, sitting at my desk, wondering why this part of corporate life feels like navigating a maze blindfolded. Let me vent-because maybe I'm not alone?" the Redditor wrote. He further shared the "unspoken rules" that define the toxic culture in Indian corporations. According to him, the first obstacle is the language barrier. "Imagine walking into a meeting that starts with a polite "How's your day?" in English, only for the next 30 minutes to dissolve into rapid-fire Hindi. Jokes fly, ideas bounce, and you're just...nodding," he wrote, adding that rampant use of languages other than English in the workplace can alienate many.

Unspoken 'Toxic Culture' in Indian Corporates
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The techie said that one can learn to speak Hindi, however, he added that they might still miss out on references and inside jokes. "It's like trying to catch smoke with your hands. The worst part? The bonding. Chai breaks, lunch tables, even Slack threads-suddenly, you're the outsider in your own office. You smile awkwardly, laugh a beat too late. It's not malice; it's just...habit. But when promotions hinge on "culture fit," how do you fit into a culture that feels linguistically gated?" he wrote.

Another obstacle that the Redditor highlighted was being excluded from casual interactions among colleagues as they usually happen during smoke breaks. "Here's the other "unofficial rulebook": smoke breaks = networking gold. Every hour, the balcony fills with folks puffing away, discussing projects, venting about managers, or just...chatting. You don't smoke? Congrats on the healthy lungs! Now enjoy staring at your screen while career-critical conversations happen without you," he said. 

Similarly, if you're not drinking at office parties, you're immediately labelled "boring". "If you're not clinking glasses, you're a ghost. "Why aren't you drinking?!" becomes the anthem of the night. Decline politely, and suddenly, you're the "boring one." The FOMO isn't about the alcohol-it's about the camaraderie that evaporates when you're not "one of them," he said. 

The Redditor said that he is not judging anyone's choices, "but when exclusion becomes the collateral damage of these habits, it's exhausting. You start questioning: Is my career growth tied to my ability to chain-smoke or crack jokes in Hindi?" he said. 

"To anyone else sitting silently in meetings, faking laughs, or skipping parties to avoid the peer pressure-I see you. This isn't about "snowflake syndrome." It's about workplaces feeling like high school cliques, where your worth hinges on things that have nothing to do with your skills," the techie added. 

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The Reddit post quickly went viral, with over 1,200 upvotes. In the comments section, many shared similar instances where they felt alienated at their workplace. 

"I agree with you. Never seen a hindi guy facing same awkward situation in a Kannada majority group. I mostly noticed kannada employees start speaking hindi too make their non kannadiga collegue happier," wrote one user. 

"I've noticed this at many places and it's horrible. It takes a lot of effort to try making a change, especially when the upper management is part of the problem. The entire smoking and drinking to be part of the "culture" is quite problematic honestly," shared another. 

"That's part of workplace politics. Our social skills have much more weightage than our technical skills. I had the same difficulty in the initial days, but I learnt Hindi to bond with North Indians, I learnt Telugu and Tamil to bond with South Indians. Kannada is anyway my native language," commented a third user. 

"I can totally relate.I'm from the Northeast, so fluent Hindi was a challenge for me too. There were many instances where I struggled to understand certain phrases and felt a bit out of place in conversations.Also, I've noticed that if you're not part of the smoking group, you're often left out of casual conversation," shared one user.