‘Not Worth It’: US-based Indian-origin Man Advises Candidates To Avoid Managers Who Mix Languages

A US-based Indian-origin professional has sparked a debate online with his advice on when to “politely decline” a job offer. Varunram Ganesh, in his post on X (formerly Twitter), suggested that if a candidate notices their future boss frequently incorporating Hindi words or sentences while speaking English, it is a sign to avoid the job.

“A lot of Indian friends are entering the job market, switching jobs, among other things. The biggest advice I have to avoid bad managers and companies is: pick a manager who speaks fully in English,” Ganesh wrote in his post.

He explained that during interviews, candidates should carefully observe how their future boss communicates. If the boss often mixes Hindi words with English, Ganesh advised to avoid the job. Ganesh elaborated that while it is perfectly acceptable for a manager to speak only in Hindi or a regional language, “a language mixer” who alternates between the languages can make your life “terrible.”

“During interviews, pay attention to how your future boss is talking. If you notice one Hindi word or Hindi sentence (frequently to other colleagues), politely decline the job after the call. It will not be worth it. If a manager doesn’t know English and only knows Hindi / Regional languages, that’s totally fine. But if you get a language mixer, your life will be terrible and you will regret your decision,” he wrote.

See the post here:

Ganesh’s post gained significant traction online, sparking a range of reactions from social media users, many of whom disagreed with his statement.

One user commented, “It really shows that you’re disconnected from the bottom 90% of society. Work in Manufacturing or a Darshini for a month and your opinion will change.”

Another added, “Most terrific advice I saw on the internet, lol. Language has nothing to do with how the person behaves.”

“Yes. Hindi is catching strays (deservedly), but the transgressions happen equally from speakers of other languages too. So far, I have had one manager in my direct reporting line that spoke Kannada, and we never spoke in Kannada at work,” someone shared.

An individual criticising Ganesh’s advice, wrote, “Terrible take! Judging managers on language mixing is shallow and discriminatory. This advice promotes bias and limits opportunities. Folks, please focus on actual leadership skills instead of petty language policing.”

Meanwhile, a person in agreement commented, “I kind of agree with this. Those who can distinctly speak in a single language demonstrate a refined thought process than somebody who mixes languages.”

Since being posted online, the post has accumulated over 1 lakh views so far.

What do you think about Ganesh’s advice?