If you decide to join even after speaking with ex-employees, you must do these.
- Know that most of the increments, rises, options, promotions promised will not be honoured, does not matter they are recorded in offer letter or not, does not matter what your performance is
- Know that your work may differ considerably from what is described to you. Strategy people do HR work. Sales guys do secretary work.
- Know that the talks of firing you may start as early as your second day into the company, sometimes even before you join! The head of the company literally plans and hires 5 people for every person he needs. The logic is 2 will be fired, 2 will leave by themselves, 1 will stay. But the fact is 4 will leave by themselves and 1 may stay until he is fired. And the hunt starts within a couple of weeks again. This is an endless cycle.
- Know that there is perpetual hiring since people just come and go like it is a bus stop. You will see people disappearing like in a dodgeball or kabaddi game, mysteriously (it will no more be a mystery after a while). Most people leave within a week, a day or even after an hour, the moment they see the chaos and insults. Some go back after seeing the office from outside, never stepping inside.
- Know that if ever you refer someone you know, you should be ready to forget your relationship with them as they will not be able to forgive you
- Know that your work direction may change every day, every hour, sometimes within minutes. And you are the one who understood it wrong
- Know that the notice period from your side or from the company side may not be honoured
- Know that you will be asked directly or indirectly to post good reviews on the company
- Know that if at all you spend any money for the company, reimbursements will mostly take very long and multiple follow-ups. You may even be asked to pay for your own visa for official trips
- Know that your final settlement will mostly take a very long time and multiple follow-ups
- Know that you will be threatened not to join any company that remotely deals with any chatbots or AI
- Know that you will need a lot of emotional strength to survive since you will be humiliated before others, in person and behind you, so much that you will start doubting your own abilities
- Know that whether you like it or not, you will be used to poach not only your ex-colleagues but also your ex-managers
- Know that you may receive multiple types of threats for unknown reasons
- Know that your parting discussions will be gruelling, dramatic, scary and some of the worst ever
- Know that the greatest moment in your entire tenure will be after your last day (not even the notice period, not even the last day will be relaxing, since those days will be torturous with all kind of gossips being spread against you and your performance)
- By the way, know that your PF may not be deposited at all