Beyond the startup hype: The hidden costs of a hustle culture

"You cannot sit inside the system and fight the system," says Bijoylashmi Das, a legal professional sharing her experience about the harassment and turmoil she had gone through while working at a startup in a coworking space.

"It started with inappropriate behavior from a male colleague who would leer at me. I've faced this before in Delhi, coming from the Northeast, but I always took a stand. One evening, I confronted him directly and escalated the issue to HR. However, the female HR head didn't seem to understand the severity of the situation and dismissed my concerns."

"Things only escalated further when a new VP-HR was brought in. He was overly touchy-feely with women and made me feel very uncomfortable. I was removed from my HOD room without explanation and when I reported this to my manager, the HR head retaliated. The VP seemed to think he could get away with anything, even hugging me in private. Despite a strong performance record, I was ultimately asked to leave the company without any explanation."

"I was raising my concerns and about a POSH complaint; they acted against me. They did not give me my ESOPs, nor did they give me my annual bonus. They have cheated me," shares Das.

In India, women are more likely to have or develop a mental health issue than men, as per Aon's report on mental health.

While highlighting the systemic challenges faced by survivors of sexual harassment and emphasizing the need for better support systems and improved confidentiality measures to encourage reporting, Paritosh Dhawan, Principal & Founder, Dhawan and Co says, "Victims of sexual harassment under the POSH Act face significant barriers when reporting incidents, due to a lack of knowledge on processes, as well as concerns about confidentiality and potential retaliation from perpetrators or colleagues and cultural stigmas which can lead to feelings of shame and embarrassment, further discouraging victims from coming forward."

Dhawan says that in his understanding the absence of strong support systems, such as counseling and legal assistance, leaves many victims feeling isolated and unsupported in their decision to report. These challenges underscore the urgent need for organizations to improve and enhance confidentiality measures, and establish robust support mechanisms to create an environment where victims feel empowered and safe to report incidents without fear of backlash or exposure, he adds.

Priyanka Peeramsetty, Associate Director, Keka HR emphasizes on the inadequate implementation of POSH guidelines in startups, highlighting the systemic bias and lack of protection for women in these environments. "Most startups don't have POSH guidelines in place. No HR head is mandated to be institutionalized until you cross X number of employees. There is nothing that one can do except endure it or move out."

"Sometimes people don't have governance over the language they use, from subtle sexist jokes to other forms of microaggression. It alienates certain groups of people. People who have been trying to come out of the closet don't do it because they don't want to fight the battle at their workplace," she adds.

Peeramsetty says lack of role clarity is one big area that most startups struggle with. "It's a limit for people who want some level of structure. Not having that structure will play against them when they are sitting for performance reviews. Most of these companies don't have HR mandates or very senior leaders. They might be great at building something but don't necessarily have people management skills that a team needs."

This whole hustle culture puts unreasonable pressure on people, adds Peeramsetty, stating that it's extremely binary: "It might get difficult for people who have a kid or who travel from far. When you are sitting for performance reviews, these instances will be raised."

Aon's report on mental health reveals that 53% of employees in India say their mental health is having an impact on productivity. Overall, 43% of employees in India say they feel unsettled and nervous, compared with 36% in Asia overall. 52% of workers end the workday feeling mentally and/or physically exhausted.

Unhealthy workplaces encourage absenteeism, poor performance, and mistreatment of vulnerable groups such as women, junior staff, and marginalized communities, according to experts like Revathi Mohan, a counselling psychologist. Mohan says that when toxic behaviors are tolerated or normalized, inequality grows, leaving many employees feeling powerless or unsafe. "This not only harms the individual but also weakens the economy on a broader scale."

There is still a significant taboo and fear of judgment when it comes to seeking mental health support in the workplace. Says Mohan, "Overall, I would say, it's a lack of behaviour education. Management often underestimates the value of exit interviews, missing the opportunity to address the root causes of toxic work culture. Toxic environments don't just affect individuals—they extend to families and communities, increasing stress and straining public health systems, which ultimately reduces the overall quality of life. Every individual contributes to the nation’s economy, but employers often overlook this perspective."

Biplab Roy shares his experience with nepotism, micromanagement, and a lack of support. He describes a toxic work environment where constant monitoring, pressure to work beyond 40 hours, and a lack of client funds led to a hostile work environment. He was switched to a project management role, despite his L&D background, and unfairly judged on his performance.

"The HR of the company used to stalk me on LinkedIn, and based on the LinkedIn posts I am makin (which did not involve the company name) he used to harrass me in the organization stating - you are unhappy with the organization and you are posting it online - so now when we are letting you go - why are you begging us to stay., " he says.

"Mind you, there was no mention of the name of the company, and it was all said as a general perspective, but his opinion was - if you are currently employed and writing such posts, it directly means that it is about your current employer!," Roy states.

Sandeep Kocchar, CEO of BlewMinds, describes a toxic work environment where the CEO's behavior created a culture of fear and frustration. He recounts a pattern of the CEO arriving and leaving late, making employees stay late as well. "The CEO would always come to office late and leave late. A lot of us would be traveling from far, and it was expected we couldn't leave until he leaves. One day when I had left for home, half an hour later, he called me and said, 'Why did you leave without telling me?' He asked me to come back to work."

Besides verbally abusive behavior, blaming subordinates for issues and questionable ethics, Kocchar claims that the above mentioned CEO also refused to support him when Kocchar requested to work from a Gurgaon office and some days in a Noida location (as they had both offices). "When relocated close to office in Gurgaon he told me to go to the Noida office. Basically, he wanted to make our lives miserable."

Kocchar did 70,000 kms on his car for two years.

"He was abusive as well. I would give him the work for approval, he would sit on that and delay the projects, and later he would blame me for the work not happening. I got upset and complained about him to his boss sitting outside India. He started to abuse me strangely. He didn't fire me, he was a narcissist. He used to lie in board meetings just to save his ass. Once, I pointed out he would dress up the data to show how we were doing well whereas we were not doing well. He got very upset and started to yell at me," Kocchar shares.