Mumbai firm criticized for unusual job requirement: "personal life should be sorted"

A Navi Mumbai-based company has sparked an online debate after posting a job vacancy with an unusual requirement, stating that candidates must have their "personal life sorted with no baggage."

The job listing, for the role of Talent Acquisition Executive, was shared on Reddit and quickly went viral, attracting widespread criticism, particularly regarding work-life balance.

Initially, the job post listed typical qualifications, such as experience in the BPO sector and strong communication skills. However, the final line of the description, focusing on the candidate's personal life, triggered a heated discussion on Reddit’s "Recruiting Hell" forum, where users expressed frustration over the demand.

The post has garnered nearly 5,000 upvotes, with commenters criticizing the toxic expectations of certain workplaces.

One user compared the work-life imbalance in India to that of Japan, while others highlighted the growing trend of companies encroaching on employees' personal lives. “They’re asking for zero emotional baggage prior because a job in BPO will give them twice the emotional baggage,” one user joked, while another sarcastically suggested the company should offer therapy as part of the benefits package.

This controversy comes at a time when India is increasingly scrutinizing its work culture, especially following the tragic death of 26-year-old Ernst & Young employee Anna Sebastian Perayil.

Anna, who worked in EY India's Pune office, passed away just four months after joining, with her family alleging that excessive work pressure played a significant role. In a letter to the company’s chairman, her mother condemned the overburdening of new employees, calling out the firm's disregard for work-life balance.