- Employees allege toxic culture, denied leave, 14-hour shifts.
- Accusations include gender discrimination, medical emergency disregard.
- Genpact initiates independent internal review into allegations.
Employees at Genpact's Hafeezpet office in Hyderabad have accused a senior manager of promoting a toxic work culture marked by excessive working hours, alleged gender discrimination, and a severe disregard for medical emergencies.
The allegations surfaced after an employee shared multiple posts and a meeting recording on LinkedIn. Several current and former staff members have raised concerns about the manager, identified as Xavier Francis, prompting an independent internal review into the workplace conduct, Moneycontrol reported.
Denied Medical Leave, 14-Hour Shifts
In a post on LinkedIn on October 5, Rohit Kotana alleged that on July 20, he reported chest pain and requested permission to leave work but was denied. He subsequently suffered a panic attack and hyperventilation on the office floor, requiring immediate medical assistance.
He also claimed that employees were regularly pressured to work beyond their scheduled shifts, sometimes staying until 6:30 AM or 7 AM despite their shifts ending at 3 AM. According to employees, the manager cited his own 14-hour workdays to pressure others into following suit.
Gender Discrimination And Workplace Harassment
In his posts, Kotana flagged severe instances of gender discrimination.
"Gender-related concerns included monitoring women’s bio-breaks, comments about women’s health, attendance pressure and concerns regarding the treatment of a pregnant employee in a previous team,” Kotana wrote.
"One incident particularly highlights the environment. A female colleague was menstruating, and blood spilt onto a cafeteria chair. Concerned about being late and not being believed, she felt compelled to photograph the bloodstain as proof," he added.
In another post, Kotana shared a recording of a September Employee Relations (ER) meeting where a worker said her fiancé was in an intensive care unit after an accident, alleging that management continued questioning her availability for work the following day.
Workers stated that the environment severely impacted their physical and mental health, adding that the company's Employee Relations team had failed to provide satisfactory responses.
Company Assures Action
In response, the company said that employee health, safety, and dignity are top priorities of the organisation, the report added.
"We believe in nurturing a workplace where everyone is treated with respect, and we take any concern about employee safety and workplace conduct seriously," the company said.
The company said that an independent internal review is underway and assured that appropriate action will be taken after the review is completed.