IIIT Delhi grad quits ₹17 LPA banking job, calls workplace toxic and unethical

A former banker and IIIT Delhi graduate opened up about why he walked away from a ₹17 lakh per annum banking job at the age of 24, citing toxic workplace culture and unethical sales pressure within the private banking sector.

In a candid account on social media, Chirag Madaan said he had entered the banking industry expecting a structured corporate life with balanced working hours, but quickly found that reality was starkly different. What was presented as a 9-to-5 role, he said, often stretched into 12-hour workdays, six days a week, leaving little personal time and creating constant mental strain as even lunch breaks were reduced to 15 minutes, he claimed.

According to Madaan, employees were subjected to rigid attendance expectations and were often denied flexibility even in genuine situations such as illness. He alleged that taking sick leave required repeated justification, while work pressure remained relentless regardless of circumstances.

A major reason behind his resignation, he said, was the intense sales-driven environment in which employees were expected to meet aggressive monthly targets, including bringing in deals worth up to ₹10 crore. Failure to achieve those numbers, he claimed, often led to humiliation and toxic behaviour from branch leadership, creating an atmosphere of fear and burnout.

Madaan also raised concerns over the pressure to sell financial products that he personally did not believe were in customers’ best interests. Recalling one instance, he said he reviewed a client’s investment portfolio and found unit-linked insurance plans (ULIPs) previously recommended by his own bank’s branch manager, despite the returns being lower than fixed deposits.

He said such experiences exposed a deeper issue in the banking sector, where employees are often pushed to promote products not because they are beneficial to customers, but because they help meet internal sales quotas.

He further criticised the pressure to market high-cost trading apps offered by banks, despite cheaper and more efficient alternatives already dominating the market. He said he found it difficult to recommend paid banking apps to customers when private platforms were offering better services at little or no cost.

Calling the system ethically conflicting and emotionally draining, Madaan said the culture of forced selling and unrealistic targets ultimately made it impossible for him to continue in the profession.