Unpaid intern says company fired them for refusing to do ‘three jobs’; netizens react

An unpaid internship at an Indian company has sparked an online debate over workplace exploitation after an intern claimed they were dismissed for refusing to take on responsibilities beyond their role. The Reddit user alleged that, despite receiving no stipend, they were expected to mentor two other interns, retrain a colleague and prepare a crash course for a programme the company charges for.

In a Reddit post titled “Got terminated from my unpaid internship for refusing to be an entire HR department,” the intern described how a disagreement with management over the workload ended with their termination on grounds of alleged misconduct.

The intern said they had initially joined the organisation for an unpaid internship but gradually found themselves handling responsibilities beyond their own work. These included guiding another intern, retraining a second colleague and preparing training material for an HR crash course.


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According to the post, the intern raised concerns with their manager about juggling multiple responsibilities but was told to continue handling the assignments. The disagreement escalated after the intern refused to take on all three tasks simultaneously.

“When I finally said I couldn't juggle three jobs simultaneously, things went south. Apparently, setting boundaries is a bigger problem than expecting one unpaid intern to do everyone's job,” the user wrote.

The intern acknowledged that some of their responses to management had been blunt but questioned whether refusing excessive work amounted to unprofessional conduct.

“My replies were admittedly blunt, and the company eventually terminated my internship. So, was I unprofessional, or did I accidentally unsubscribe from corporate exploitation?” the post read.

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Reactions

The post received more than 3,300 upvotes and hundreds of comments, with several Reddit users expressing support for the intern and criticising the alleged workplace practices.

One user advised the intern not to take the experience personally, writing, “Don't take it to heart, kid. They're gaslighting experts. I don't know how they convince people to work for them for free.”

Another commenter, reflecting on their own experience, said, “I appreciate the way you set your clear boundaries. As a millennial who got exploited in an unpaid internship more than 2 decades ago, this gives me some joy.”

A third user criticised the management's communication skills, writing, “Leaving all the toxic overload of work aside, for someone at a senior level, these people have the communication and English skills of a fish.”

The company's use of WhatsApp for official communication also drew criticism. One Reddit user called it a warning sign, adding, “You definitely dodged a bullet right there.”

Another commenter questioned the decision to terminate an unpaid intern, saying, “The audacity of them terminating you when they weren't even giving you a dime. Such internship should be like, today I am not in mood to work. I'll come tomorrow.”

The discussion has renewed scrutiny of unpaid internships, particularly when interns are expected to take on responsibilities beyond their designated roles. However, the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the termination remain based on the Reddit user's account.