I joined this company with high hopes, eager to contribute meaningfully. What I encountered instead was a deeply toxic work culture that consistently glorified overwork, lacked basic respect, and showed little understanding of leadership or employee well-being.
1. Toxic Work Hours & Complete Disregard for Law or Safety:
As a woman, being asked to work till midnight—without any travel support—was not just unreasonable, it was illegal. Indian labor laws explicitly state that women cannot be asked to work beyond 8 p.m. unless safe travel arrangements are provided. None of this was offered. When I voiced concerns, I was told to "go home and continue working from there." There's a boundary between dedication and exploitation—and this crossed it. It wasn’t just poor management, it was the glorification of corporate slavery.
2. Zero Respect for Effort, Only Unrealistic Expectations:
I was assigned a product management task and delivered a complete solution in just ten days. The client’s response? “Wow.” Despite this, my work was picked apart with personal attacks instead of constructive feedback. Mistakes weren't treated as opportunities to learn, but as ammunition to belittle. Perfection was expected from day one, and taking initiative was met with micromanagement instead of support.
3. Lack of Basic Professionalism and Toxic Communication Tactics:
One of the most disturbing moments during my time at Incresco was when I was indirectly accused of breaching confidentiality—something I would never do. A colleague resigned, and the CEO assumed I had told her she was being fired. Instead of speaking to me directly, he posted a passive-aggressive message in a public group, indirectly implying that I had shared confidential information. This was not only false but incredibly unprofessional.
I come from a place of strong values and principles—I don’t gossip, I don’t play politics, and I don’t breach trust. What I know, I keep to myself unless it’s relevant and necessary to share. I didn’t retaliate because I believe in handling matters with dignity. But to my shock, when I brought this up during my resignation, the CEO openly admitted that he knew I hadn’t done it. He said he posted that message intentionally to provoke me into reacting and “fighting with him.”
What kind of leadership is that? It’s manipulative, childish, and deeply toxic. It showed me exactly how little respect there was for professionalism and integrity within the leadership. My values weren’t just ignored—they were undermined and mocked.
4. Disrespect Was Tolerated, Even Justified:
I had a colleague who, despite not being my manager or someone I reported to, repeatedly spoke to me rudely and interrogated me over trivial matters. I addressed the situation through the proper channels, expecting some sort of resolution. However, when a meeting was finally called, the CEO chose to justify this behavior instead of holding the individual accountable. He claimed, “She’s just being direct—you must have experienced this in the UK.”
Let me be crystal clear: I have worked abroad. Yes, people there can be direct, but they are also incredibly respectful and polite. There is a vast difference between being direct and being outright rude. To justify poor behavior under the guise of "cultural difference" isn’t just misplaced—it’s toxic leadership.
What’s worse is that, by dismissing this behavior, the CEO indirectly signaled that disrespect was not only tolerated, but excused. That’s not the kind of leadership anyone should follow.
5. Hypocrisy Between Values and Practice:
We marketed the hiring platform as one that promotes 'unbiased hiring', but internally, it was the complete opposite. A colleague was hired for the same role as mine, but her hiring process was a joke compared to mine. She hadn’t even applied for the role—she had applied for an HR intern position. Yet, she was hired after just one round of interview with the CEO.
Meanwhile, I had to go through three rounds of interviews plus a two-day in-office assignment to prove myself. When I brought this up during my resignation, the CEO admitted that she was only hired for the sales role and was "way too junior" compared to me, both in terms of education and experience.
I have significant work experience and a higher level of expertise, whereas she was just starting out in her career and often sought guidance for basic tasks. Despite this, the CEO assigned us both the same KPIs and promised promotions and hikes based on performance over the next six months.
This was the tipping point for me. How is it fair that someone who was hired under questionable circumstances and is vastly less qualified is held to the same performance standard as someone with significantly more experience and education?
If you're going to market unbiased, meritocratic hiring practices, then at least follow through internally. If you’re going to sell a value, live by it.
6. Unacceptable Remarks About Women and Support for Toxic Work Culture:
The CEO openly supported the Infosys founder’s problematic view that employees should work more than 70 hours a week—something that’s already controversial. But what shocked me even more was when he casually said, "Once you get married, you’ll understand. There’ll be nothing to talk about other than work, and the wife will only talk about children."
Why would anyone, let alone a leader, say something so sexist and regressive? Reducing women to such outdated roles is not only offensive—it’s dangerous in a professional environment. To top it off, he even acknowledged that if someone were to record and post his comment, there’d be backlash. That just proves he knew it was wrong—and still chose to say it.
7. Toxic Environment and Lack of Constructive Feedback:
I’ve also seen firsthand how feedback was handled there—there was none. The CEO would call people into a room, but instead of providing constructive criticism, the atmosphere was cold, dismissive, and humiliating. I’ve seen people walk out of these sessions in tears, clearly devastated. This isn’t healthy, it’s downright toxic.
When people ask for clarification through Teams messages, the CEO would just leave them on read, which only adds to the toxic culture of disrespect.
8. Exploiting Fresh Graduates and Promoting Gossip:
They claim to avoid hiring experienced professionals because they want to focus on "young minds," but the reality is they can’t afford to pay experienced people, so they bring in fresh college graduates at a fraction of the cost. These new hires are then made to work long hours without adequate compensation.
To top it off, the CEO even mentioned that he wants gossip and office politics to thrive within the company. This is an environment where personal growth and respect are actively undermined, and leadership is non-existent.
9. Disconnect Between the Founders:
One of the most frustrating aspects of working here was the complete lack of alignment between the CEO and the CTO. Often, the CEO would make a decision or assign a task, and later, the CTO—unaware that it was the CEO's call—would question or challenge it. This not only created unnecessary confusion but also left employees stuck in the middle, feeling blamed for simply following instructions. When leadership isn't on the same page, it trickles down and creates chaos for the rest of the team. A company can't run smoothly when its top leaders aren’t even aligned.
Unless you're ready to be overworked, disrespected, and gaslighted—run in the opposite direction.
