'No warning, no discussion...': Hyderabad techie's post on 'workplace betrayal' goes viral

A Hyderabad-based IT professional's post on Grapevine, a career discussion platform, has gone viral, gathering over 52,000 views. The techie shared a shocking account of being terminated unexpectedly during a vacation, without prior warning or discussion.

“A week into my trip, I received an email with the subject line: ‘Employment Status.’ My stomach dropped. I opened it, and it was a termination letter. No warning, no discussion—just an impersonal email saying I was no longer part of the company,” the post read.

The techie immediately contacted her manager for clarification. “They picked up, and after a long pause, told me it was about ‘integrity concerns.’ Apparently, they thought I had mishandled something during a recent client presentation,” she wrote.

The techie clarified the situation, recounting what transpired during the presentation. “Two weeks before my vacation, I was preparing for a high-stakes demo for a major client. The software had last-minute issues, so I improvised and skipped certain steps to keep the presentation on track. I flagged the issue to the internal team afterward, but someone reported that I’d intentionally misrepresented the product.”

While the manager sympathized, the decision came from senior leadership. “They even said, ‘I believe you, but this decision came from above.’ Senior leadership apparently felt they couldn’t take the risk of keeping me on. They told me it was a ‘final decision’ and offered to write me a recommendation letter, as if that made it any less humiliating.”

What stung most was the lack of acknowledgment for her dedication. “Over the past year, I’ve consistently gone above and beyond—staying late to finish deliverables, jumping in to help with last-minute client issues, and even training junior team members. I thought my efforts were appreciated. I’d even been told I was being considered for a promotion and a raise after this quarter. Now, it feels like all of that was just empty promises.”

Her experience highlights a broader issue in corporate culture. “It’s hard not to feel betrayed. In Indian workplaces, loyalty is often emphasized—you’re told to treat your job like family. I really thought I’d built that trust, but this experience has left me questioning everything.”

Seeking advice, she asked, “If anyone’s been through something like this, how did you handle it? How do you bounce back from being blindsided like this?”