"Ek chamaat marenge...": HSBC Employee Alleges Office Toxicity

An HSBC GSC Hyderabad employee alleges office toxicity after her troubling experiences with HSBC over the past year. 

Over the past year, she faced numerous incidents, ranging from ethnic to misogynistic jibes from bosses, that led to serious mental health issues and panic attacks. 

One notable incident occurred on April 22, 2024, when a colleague, Ajmeera Ashok, made an ethnically insensitive remark, stating, “'ek chamaat maarenge, bihar pahuch jaogi”

It essentially means, "I will slap you so hard, you will go back to Bihar." 

Despite reporting this to her manager, Ayeesha Talukdar, no significant action was taken.

HR Complaint and Further Harassment:

The employee filed a POSH complaint with HR but received no updates, only a feedback request on May 3, 2024. 

During her notice period, another incident occurred. Vinay Kumar Rajuldev from the UK CDD team made objectifying remarks about her smoking, stating she had "ruined the name of their team." 

“Tmhare jaisi ladki hum aaj tk ni dekhe hai, akele pura UK team ka naam kharab kr k rkhi hai. Ttmhare alawa kisi UK team ki ladki ko hm ni dkhe hai cigarette pite huye' which means”, essentially meaning he has never seen any girl from the UK team smoking cigarettes.

Later, she observed him chewing tobacco and spitting inside the office premises. 

Her last working day is June 13, 2024, and she hopes her story reaches current and prospective HSBC employees.

Social Media Uproar:

One user wrote: “You should draft an email to the HSBC headquarters and cc to the CEO in India. Pls do not stay silent, self esteem is so valuable.”

Another user replied:”HR's role is to protect the company, not the employees. But they do a good job of gaslighting everyone into thinking they are there for the best interest of the employees. Open door policy is a fallacy to get you to come forward with the problems, so they can immediately research a legal response to protect the company. Toxicity does not go away simply by going to HR. Sometimes the right choice to move on, as you have done. Leave the toxicity behind you.”