Worst startup work culture I’ve experienced – is this normal?
I worked at a startup where the work culture was extremely toxic.
People would casually pass unnecessary and sometimes personal comments, and if you had a problem with it, they would justify it by saying things like, “I said it because I consider you a friend.”
Working late at night was treated like a normal part of the culture rather than an exception. It felt like the number of hours you stayed was more important than whether you actually completed your work.
Another major issue was accountability. People would push their own responsibilities onto others, and somehow this behaviour was tolerated or even supported. There were many other things happening that I personally found completely unprofessional, but instead of being corrected, such behaviour seemed to get encouraged.
Over time, the environment became mentally exhausting. Going to work started feeling more like dealing with office politics, unnecessary comments and other people's responsibilities than actually focusing on my own work.
For me, it has been one of the worst workplace experiences.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of culture in Indian startups? Is this common, or was I just unlucky with this company?