‘Salary at 10 am, resignation at 10.05 am’: HR slams employee’s 5-minute exit for lack of “professional ethics”

An Indian HR professional has sparked a debate on LinkedIn after citing a case of an employee who reportedly resigned just five minutes after receiving their first salary. 

HR professional criticises employee's 5-minute exit

“Salary credited at 10:00 AM, resignation emailed at 10:05 AM,” the HR professional wrote, expressing disappointment as the HR and training teams had spent time onboarding and mentoring the new hire.

In the LinkedIn post, the Chennai-based HR professional Priyavarshini M. questioned the ethics behind such a sudden exit.

“Let’s talk about professional ethics. The company welcomed you, trusted you, and gave you a platform to grow. And then—five minutes after your first salary hit your account—you walked away. Was that fair? Was it ethical?” she wrote.

Priyavarshini further said that last-minute resignations often showcase “a lack of intent, maturity, and accountability,” and stressed the importance of open communication.

“If something didn’t feel right: You could’ve spoken up. You could’ve asked for clarity or help. You could’ve made a conscious exit, not a convenient one,” she added.

The HR Executive continued that no job is without its challenges and that true professional growth takes more than just collecting a salary.

“No job is ‘easy.’ Every role takes commitment, patience, and effort. Growth doesn’t come with your first paycheck — it comes with perseverance,” she wrote.

Concludingly, Priyavarshini urged professionals to take accountability for their career decisions.

“So before pointing fingers at ‘culture’ or ‘role mismatch,’ Pause. Reflect. Communicate. Because in the end, your professionalism is defined not by your post — but by your actions,” the post read.

Netizens react

The post became viral, with numerous LinkedIn users sharing their opinions.

“Person is not wrong But being Hr you should not post such matters on social media .It clearly shows your immaturity please,” a user commented.

Another user sided with the employee, saying, “Ethics? Let’s be clear: salaries are paid for work already done – not for charity, not in advance. If someone resigns after getting paid, it means they fulfilled their obligation for that month. And let’s not forget: there’s usually a notice period still to be served. So it’s not like the company is being blindsided or shortchanged. If companies want lifelong loyalty, maybe they should issue marriage certificates, not offer letters.”

"It works both ways, but it’s not balanced. When an employee does this to a company, the company does not usually collapse. However, when a company does this to an employee, a lot of times entire families are brought to the streets. So, please get that into perspective,” a third user wrote.

Also read: “In 50, 100 years, you will be forgotten,” Kunal Shah says Entrepreneurs should not worry about creating legacy (startuppedia.in)