'Everyone’s mother dies...You’re useless anyway': Bank official accused of toxic behaviour in internal viral email
The allegations levelled in the internal email, which has now gone viral, reveal a disturbing pattern of employees being denied leave even during moments of deep personal crisis.
“Mother passed away? — “Everyone’s mother dies, don’t be dramatic,” is what the Chennai Zonal Head of a PSU bank reportedly told a branch manager when the employee sought leave as his mother passed away.
The scathing internal email, which levels a series of allegations against the zonal head – accusing him of "dictatorial, abusive, and insensitive" workplace culture – has now gone viral on social media.
What did the email reveal?
A netizen posted a screenshot of the email detailing a series of shocking complaints against UCO Bank's Chennai zonal head, RS Ajith.
The allegations reveal a disturbing pattern of employees being denied leave even during moments of deep personal crisis.
While one officer said his request for time off after his mother’s death was flatly rejected, another recalled how the branch head allegedly ordered him to abandon the ICU and report to work—warning that he would be marked leave without pay if he refused – all of this when his one-year-old daughter was battling for life in the hospital.
"Child in ICU? — “Are you a doctor? Either come to office or take LWP," the netizen posted on X, describing the complaint.
A third employee claimed that his plea for leave to care for his hospitalised wife was brushed aside with humiliating remarks.
To date, neither UCO Bank nor its Chennai zonal office has released an official statement addressing the allegations.
‘Emotional harassment…’
Flagging the bank head's behaviour “emotional harassment and institutional cruelty”, the X user further tagged the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), asking for “accountability.”
"Shame on a system that protects such toxic authority while crushing its own employees during their most vulnerable moments. Where is the accountability, @RBI @DFS_India, @FinMinIndia ?? Why is there no action when such blatant insensitivity and abuse of power is reported within public sector banks?" the user posted.
Workplace harassment cases are rampant across the globe due to factors such as systemic power imbalances and employees' fear of retaliation.
Recently, a 30-year-old woman working at a factory in Thailand collapsed at work and later died after her manager allegedly refused her sick leave request.