Office or school? Redditor details CEO’s bizarre lateness punishment, ‘late comers stand outside office’

An Indian CEO has trigerred an online debate for running his office like a schoolyard, locking latecomers out and giving them a public lecture on productivity. The bizarre incident came to light through a viral Reddit post on r/IndianWorkplace by user ‘shutterspice.’

“In what seemed to be a time travel moment, our CEO teleported us back to school days today!” the anonymous user wrote.

“He shut off all entry to the office at around 12 pm and made all the latecomers stand outside the office doors. After some time, he lectured all these guys about being productive and punctual and how ‘I was here till 10 pm last night’ is not a valid reason to show up late.”

The user described how the experience reminded them of their school days. “Honestly, it felt so ridiculous that I was remembering how our school prefects used to make us stand out in the sun if we showed up after 8 am.”

The post immediately drew strong reactions on Reddit. One commenter called out the CEO’s behaviour, writing, “This is disrespectful behaviour. They can just mark latecomers as half-day presents, and the same can be reflected in their payslips. I’m pretty sure once a pay deduction is at risk, the majority wouldn’t come late. But this is ‘childish’ behaviour.”

Another user chimed in with a darkly humorous anecdote. “What do you mean you had an accident? Why only your rickshaw got hit by a car and none of the other kids arrived safely,” they wrote, comparing the CEO’s reaction to that of a strict teacher.

They added that the CEO’s reputation for public humiliation and sudden firings made him feared among employees. “People take him seriously because he may insult you in front of everyone and fire you. One guy got fired on the last day of his notice period because he was looking too happy. Another guy got fired because he was doing 9 to 6 even when his team was staying till late.”

The original poster responded to clarify the workplace conditions. “There are no shifts here. You are expected to be in the office from 9 to 6. If there is work, you are expected to stay late. If there is work, you are expected to work on weekends. If there is work, you cannot leave.”

While some users justified the CEO’s actions for extreme tardiness, many agreed that his management style felt more like a school punishment than professional discipline.