Former Employee Shares Harrowing Experience at Toxic Mental Health Startup

In a disheartening turn of events, a woman who joined a mental health startup has recounted her distressing experience with what she describes as an extremely toxic work environment. Her story, shared under the pseudonym "Ashiean" on Reddit, highlights troubling aspects of workplace culture at the startup, which she claims took a severe toll on her mental health.

In her Reddit post, Ashiean detailed the hostile work atmosphere created by both the manager and the CEO of the company. “Toxic manager, weird rules and dynamics. The manager honestly made my life a living hell at work. She was an extremely hostile person and always used to play dumb when the CEO is talking. The CEO was so toxic too; literally a wolf in sheep skin,” she wrote.

Ashiean described the emotional strain she endured, revealing that the toxic environment drove her to seek solace in the office restroom. “I used to cry in the office toilet. It was that bad,” she confessed.

Check Out the Viral Post:

The situation escalated dramatically when Ashiean was terminated after liking a LinkedIn post about toxic workplaces. The CEO allegedly dismissed her over a call, accusing her of “spreading wrong things about the company.” “I was let go because I liked a post on LinkedIn that talked about toxic workplaces. This is something that I am so passionate (employee mental health, etc) about so liking a post didn’t seen to do any harm. Not only that, the post itself sounded very very relatable,” Ashiean explained.

Reflecting on her ordeal, Ashiean questioned the feasibility of speaking out against workplace issues. “We talk so much about speaking up about workplace issues but the reality is if any one talks about such issues they are often get let go. Is our fate to work by keeping our mouth shut regardless of how horrible things are?”

She expressed concern about the future, fearing that her experience might lead her to suppress her voice in subsequent workplaces. “I have been so scared that I think that’s all I can do in the next place I work at. Shut up- work & tolerate the madness. I know how to make workplaces healthy though. Sad,” she lamented.

Ashiean also revealed that a significant portion of the workforce faced similar fates, stating that “seven out of ten people were ‘let go’ because they ‘didn’t say yes to everything their manager said’.”

Users Reaction to the Post

One of the users said, ""mental health" startup. So ironical that it is rusting."

Another one said, “Linkedin is wierd and cringe social media only HRs benifit from it as far I know.”

A third wrote, “Now it’s time to write about it. Clearly.”

"Mental Health Startup with a toxic work environment Irony at its peak. And that’s the harsh reality of the corporate world, they say that we provide a good work environment, and policies and HR say aoubt talking about things that bother you, if you face any issue, to speak up and all. But if you actually talk or speak up abt the things happening; pressure is built up on you to stay quiet, your mManager increases your workload, they start pointing out silly things, give you low ratings or you have to leave the job," said another one.

The account has sparked a wave of responses from Redditors, many of whom have encouraged Ashiean to publicly share her story on LinkedIn as well. This incident raises important questions about the challenges of addressing toxic work environments and the risks faced by those who dare to speak out.