1 day Ago
A UI/UX designer recently shared his ordeal after his former employer refused to pay him for the final few working days, despite documented confirmation of his employment period. The incident sheds light on questionable HR practices, poor management, and the emotional toll such experiences leave on young professionals.False Promises And Role MismatchTaking to the subreddit Indian Workplace, the techie had joined a budding one-year-old startup with the clear understanding that he would be working primarily on UI/UX projects.
However, reality quickly diverged from the promise. Over the span of a year, he found himself handling motion design tasks repeatedly, with only a handful of UI/UX assignments to his name. Burnt out and professionally stagnant, he made the difficult decision to resign.
Resignation And Last Working DayHe submitted his resignation on January 4th, honoring a full one-month notice period that set February 3rd as his official last working day. The founder, in a surprising turn, suggested he take a break and return after “upskilling”—an offer he respectfully declined. Despite the management requesting he extend his stay due to “Valentine’s week workload,” he stayed firm on his exit timeline but worked overtime daily till February 3rd to ensure smooth project transitions and complete handovers.
Management Goes AWOLOn his final working day, the founder was on a 20-day vacation, leaving no room for formal goodbyes or HR closure. No documentation or final settlement was provided. The designer exited quietly, believing he had fulfilled every responsibility with professionalism.
Over the next three weeks, he had to repeatedly follow up to obtain his certificates and documents—items that should have been handed over on day one of his departure.The Payment Saga BeginsThe company claimed that his full and final (FnF) settlement would take up to two months. Despite the red flag, he waited patiently.
After two months, when the payment was still pending, he began following up. Messages were left on read, with no responses. When he finally managed to get on a call with the founder, he was greeted with fake pleasantries and a promise that the payment would be done “today.
”It wasn’t.The Ultimate BetrayalAfter another reminder, the founder finally responded at 2 AM—only to share a screenshot of a partial payment that had been previously requested due to personal financial constraints. But then came the shocking part: he was told that the company would not be paying for February 1st to 3rd.
The reason? He was “no longer on the payroll” and was allegedly only “helping with transition.”120036527This is despite official documents clearly stating February 3rd as his final working day. He had never taken a single day of loss of pay (LoP) during his entire tenure.
Dismissive ClosureTo make matters worse, the founder ended the conversation with a passive “Please put in a mail if you have further queries,” as though their WhatsApp chat and verbal assurances held no weight. The techie, disillusioned and hurt, described the experience as nothing short of wage theft—one that turned a promising opportunity into a story of betrayal and burnout.Let me know if you'd like a shorter version or want this adapted into a LinkedIn post or blog!.
