A post by Indian HR Priyavarshini M has become popular with netizens after she narrated a strange and provocative story from her workplace – an employee resigned exactly five minutes after receiving their first paycheck.
In her post “Salary credited at 10:00 AM, resignation emailed at 10:05 AM,” Priyavarshini narrated how a company hired a new employee with considerable effort, trained him for weeks, and onboarding hours were spent with documentation processes. To her disbelief, the new hire left a mere five minutes after their salary was credited.
“Let’s talk about professional ethics,” she asks, as she contemplates the ethics surrounding an exit this decisive. For her, resignations like this equate to “A lack of intent, maturity, and accountability.” Priyavarshini encouraged professionals to commit to be honest, if one perceives they don’t like the job during training or probation period.
HR clarified her stance
She elaborated: Professionalism in fact does not mean loyalty to a company, it means “communicating with integrity and respecting the time and effort others invest in you” as they keep the organization running. Employees caught in dissatisfaction should be brave enough to speak out, seek to clarify, or consciously plan their exit instead of turning their backs the day after receiving their paychecks.
Her post triggered a firestorm of controversy both on LinkedIn and other platforms. There were those who sided with her and argued how trust is destroyed and resources wasted through sharp resignations. On the other hand, defenders of the employee pointed out to the lack of attention to the workplace culture, unreasonable expectations, and role discrepancies all of which could lead to an unexpected departure.
Social media divide over HR’s post
Participants in the debate also focused on the rights of employees, social disapproval of resignations in the first few months of work, and the morality of ‘payday exits’ which is when workers time their resignations to just before the payment is disbursed. Although these are debates which have existed in the Indian corporate world for some time, this example certainly does serve to restore the debates to balancing the autonomy of the employee and the obligation to the profession.
Regardless of whether one perceives the episode as an ethical transgression or a libertarian choice, the debate underscores a universal reality of the workplace: effective communication, respect, and achievable goals are still the fundamental pillars that avert volatility.
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Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
