Techie’s manager blackmails him into building website amid his mother’s illness: ‘Suffered months of unpaid work’

What started as a dream job quickly became a nightmare when an employee was forced by his team leader to work on his personal project without any compensation. Taking to the Indian Workplace subreddit, the engineering graduate shared his ordeal. Initially, he wrote, things seemed to be going well until this team leader, who had a notorious reputation for laziness and scheming behavior, was transferred into his department. No one in the office appreciated this individual—neither colleagues nor subordinates had a good word to say about him. Unfortunately, the employee had to report directly to this man, and that marked the beginning of his troubles.

The situation deteriorated rapidly when the manager learned that the employee had web development skills. One day, he pulled the young professional aside and instructed him to create a website for his personal venture. At the time, the employee was working at a BPO, earning a modest Rs 26,000 a month, all while caring for his terminally ill mother. Financially dependent on every rupee, he had no option but to comply when his manager used veiled threats to make him take on the unpaid task. The manager purchased a domain name and left the entire responsibility of designing, building, and launching the website to his subordinate—without offering any form of payment.

As his mother’s health continued to worsen, the employee found it increasingly difficult to juggle both his job and the additional workload. He tried several times to explain that he could no longer continue building the website and even offered to return the money spent on the domain. Yet, his manager remained indifferent and demanded the task be completed, even as the employee was shuttling his mother between hospitals.


Tragically, his mother—his only living family member—passed away. Devastated and caught up in dealing with grief and legal affairs, he resigned from his position. Still, his ex-manager persisted, calling regularly to pressure him about the website. Once the employee managed to sort out his personal life, he decided to honor the unfinished promise and completed the website—pulling an all-nighter at the manager’s store.

But the requests didn’t end there. Now the manager demanded mobile applications—both iOS and Android versions. The employee pointed out that such requirements should have been made known earlier so that he could have developed everything using a cross-platform approach. Instead of acknowledging the oversight, the manager dismissively responded that he’d “figure it out.”

Exhausted and frustrated, the employee finally asked to be paid for his labor. He quoted a modest Rs 12,500—Rs 7,000 for time spent and Rs 5,500 for continued support—an amount far below market value but one that would at least acknowledge his unpaid effort. In response, the manager offered a mere Rs 2,000.

"After months of mental harassment, threats, coercion, and unpaid work. ‎ ‎When I told him he’d exploited me, he said he’d pay the full amount in “installments” over two or three months. I know that’s just another excuse to avoid paying anything..." he wrote.

The employee, however, wasn’t helpless. He had collected more than 60 pieces of evidence, including recorded calls, WhatsApp chats, and screenshots of the work completed.

Now at a crossroads, the former employee is contemplating his next move. Options include escalating the matter to the company’s senior leadership or HR, issuing a formal legal notice, or exposing the entire ordeal to the public. Although he has moved on and started rebuilding his life—now working as a full-stack developer after finishing his degree—the experience left emotional scars.

The employee expressed feeling bitter and broken after such inhumane treatment, especially during a time when he was vulnerable and grieving. He now advises others in toxic work settings to document every interaction meticulously. In his view, exploitative managers seldom think twice before taking advantage of others.

Meanwhile, the Reddit community was shocked by the insensitivity the story revealed. One commenter expressed disbelief over how heartless some corporate employees could be—especially those who continue to pile on demands even after initial tasks are completed. Another user shared their own experience with a toxic director who had tried to sabotage their career. That user left quietly and eventually found a much better job with a kind boss. Ironically, the toxic manager from that story was recently fired.