Take it as a challenge, says boss asking for a week’s work in 24 hours

It had been 28 days since Shamim (29) last saw his newborn son. When he asked for paternity leave, his boss said "You should be teaching your son how to be self-sufficient. Do not make the same mistake your father did."

Shamim is one of the many young professionals trying to make it in Dhaka. With the Corvid-19 pandemic haemorrhaging opportunities in the job market, leaving is not an option for those who have just started.

Tasnuva Hossain (19), is one such intern at one of Dhaka's leading advertising agencies.

"I thought about taking a break after my A-levels to learn the ropes of Dhaka's corporate culture. I just didn't know the ropes would be around my neck," said Tasnuva before running away from the photocopy shop she was being interviewed in while the sound of screaming leaked out from her phone.

Talking to this correspondent, HR specialist Shihab of Mediocre Digital Bangladeshi Agency had a lot to say on this matter.

"I joined this place as an intern in 2017. It's 2021 and I am still the intern but on Thursday, our MD sir showed up and told me to make an entire strategy pitch for a telecommunications company due Sunday. When I asked him how I would do this, he just told me to take it as a challenge and if I can't take challenges, I will never grow as a professional. I have been an intern for four years, bhaia. Is your newspaper hiring?"

We tried reaching out to several HR professionals regarding unfair work atmospheres but half of them refused to comment citing the fear of losing their jobs while the other half said they are changing jobs right now, promising to reach out to us asap. They no longer receive our calls.