Workplace torture? Night shift employee made to work till 12 pm next day without break. 'I feel broken from inside'

A distressing account of workplace exploitation has emerged on social media, reigniting discussions on work-life balance and labor laws in India. A Reddit user, recently shared their ordeal of working a grueling night shift, followed by an unexpected extension until noon the next day. Their post described the emotional and physical toll of extreme sleep deprivation, leaving him feeling "tortured."

Reddit User Details Ordeal: ‘Literally Broke Me From Inside’
In their post, the user wrote, "As sleep deprivation is a well-documented form of torture, how does corporates justify making their employees work 24/7? Just pulled an all-nighter for program monitoring work where I had to watch the screen all night and inform IT if any of our finance programs broke down. Then, in the morning, they continued asking me to work till 12 PM. So essentially, I had no sleep from yesterday till today 12 PM. After which I tried sleeping but couldn't fall asleep. It literally broke me from inside."

He further expressed his distress about the long-term implications of such a schedule, stating, "Knowing that I'll have to do this continuously for the next four days and then once at the beginning of every month makes it worse. I don't know why, but this just feels like torture to me."

Social Media Reacts: 'This is Not Acceptable'
The post quickly went viral, sparking discussions on workplace toxicity. Many users sympathized with the Redditor, condemning the company's alleged disregard for employee well-being.

One user commented, "They want to torture you until you turn into a zombie or a coolie." Another remarked, "This is torture, you slav." Others speculated about the consequences of refusing such demands, with one user asking, "I'm assuming that if you say no or just go home, they'll fire you?"

Suggestions and Criticism of Work Culture
Several users suggested ways to handle the situation. One advised, "Just say you’re handing over the work and log off. Or ask them who is taking over the next shift." Another encouraged, "You should start questioning, ask for compensation."

Some users criticized the inefficiency of the job role itself, questioning why such tasks are not automated. A user suggested, "Why don’t you tell your managers and the IT folks to build automatic monitoring systems? Like when the program fails, an email or an SMS is sent to everyone. How stupid is this to watch a screen when we have all monitoring possible?"