A fresher working at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has shared a chilling account on how employees are treated at the workplace, especially juniors. Shared through an anonymous post, the employee claims to be a fresher at the organisation, having worked there for only nine months. The fresher calls TCS as 'the most toxic work environment I’ve ever experienced'. This comes amidst swirling reports of unethical layoffs being conducted at the organisation.
The fresher has shared the ordeal on Reddit. They described the work culture in their project 'as extremely toxic'. The user claims that the project riddled with deliberate sabotage, zero support, and relentless blame that has left her and two fellow freshers mentally drained after just 11 months on the job.
"The work culture in my project is extremely toxic. I’m not exaggerating anything," the anonymous poster wrote. Complex databases come without a shred of documentation, knowledge transfer (KT), or diagrams - leaving even basic queries unanswered by a technical lead who 'intentionally delays' responses.
"And then during stand-up, they question us about why nothing is progressing.They literally ask us - What were you doing in your free time? - as if we aren’t trying.This happens everytime," the Redditor said.
The lead and a senior colleague, just three years ahead, keep saying vile things like "You aren’t trying enough,” even as the trio hustles to meet opaque deadlines.
"It’s like we are being set up to fail, so they can say they are better," she vented, capturing the helplessness of eager learners blocked by gatekeepers who withhold clarity.
"Honestly, it’s demoralising. We feel stuck, helpless, and mentally drained. We want to work and learn, but how do we do anything when the people responsible for clearing doubts don’t help?"
Her plea - "Has anyone else faced this?" - has sparked a flood of solidarity from current and former TCS staff, many echoing similar tales of hazing disguised as 'tough mentoring' in an industry giant that's supposed to nurture India's tech talent pipeline.
This fresher's ordeal unfolds against a darkening backdrop at TCS, where unethical layoff tactics have drawn sharp scrutiny from unions, regulators, and employees alike. In recent months, the firm has been accused of coercing employees into forced exits.
Forums Of IT FITE Maharashtra highlighted how TCS disbursed Rs. 45,000 crore in dividends in 2025 alone, while reportedly paying just Rs. 1,200 crore in severance to laid-off employees—with many others allegedly coerced into resigning without any payout.
