'100% attendance mandatory': Company demands Rs 1,200 from employees for Diwali party, netizens react

A Reddit post has gone viral after a screenshot of a company’s WhatsApp message about an upcoming Diwali party sparked widespread backlash. The post alleges that the company had made the celebration “mandatory” and asked employees to contribute money to cover the costs.

According to the WhatsApp communication, employees were instructed to contribute Rs 1,200 for the party, while managers were asked to pay Rs 2,000. The message also included a hashtag that mentioned alcohol would be “on the house.”

The message read, “Hi everyone! We will be having a Diwali party. 100 percent attendance is mandatory with your teams. Collect Rs 1,200 from each person in your team. Rs 2,000 from managers. Everyone has to give Rs 1,200 per person for the same.”

The post was shared on the r/IndianWorkplace subreddit with the caption: “This is embarrassing for a company.” The user who uploaded the screenshot criticised the company, saying, “Imagine asking money from your employees to give a boring party — and the venue is bad too.”

Online reactions

The post quickly gained attention, with several Reddit users commenting on both the tone and medium of communication. One user noted that using WhatsApp for official messages blurs the line between personal and professional life. "If your company is communicating via WhatsApp they blur the lines of professional and personal life. WhatsApp is not for professional conversations, any company who does this does not care about professionalism and it's a sign you should move out asap," the user said. 

Another commenter remarked that any company doing so "does not care about professionalism" and is "a sign you should move out."

Some users also questioned the compulsory attendance rule, asking why the event wasn’t optional and what would happen if someone chose to refuse to pay or attend.