On Wednesday, 25th September 2024, a Bengaluru based chef identified as Nayantara Menon Bagla, claimed that she worked in a luxury hotel that punished latecomers by making them stand with their arms raised.
She shared her experience to a magazine and revealed about the mistreatments suffered by the staffs of the luxury hotel. She said, “When I was being inducted into a luxury hotel, the programme director told us, ‘Welcome to hell’.”
She revealed about the work shifts and sexual harassment that was done in the hotel. She said, “There were work shifts of 18-20 hours, seniors taking advantage of young folks, and constant sexual innuendoes.”
Who is Nayantara Menon Bagla?
Nayantara Menon Bagla is a nutrition Coach and a chef. She lives in Bangalore, India. She runs a nutrition program which is focused on behaviour change and building long term relationships with food.
She shared that her parents were very supportive and encouraging. She said “My parents always pushed me to be independent and were supportive of my career decisions. Being a woman in a male-dominated bastion meant I had to tweak my personality a little. I chose to become opinionated and loud to be assertive and heard and seen. This choice eventually began changing the person I am and that’s when I decided a corporate job was not exactly what suited me.”
Nayantara revealed that mental health was not a topic of discussion at the hotel. She said, “Sure, kitchens and restaurants are high-pressure environments but it can’t be to the point of covering up suicides or mass bullying. Mental health was not even a discussion.”
She then revealed about the punishment that was given to the staffs when they arrived late for the work. She said, “And if you arrived late, you had to stand outside with your hands up for two hours and clean every refrigerator in the hotel with bare hands,”
She also mentioned an incident when she was asked to change her attitude. She said, “They even told me to change my attitude or change specialties. Imagine dealing with your mom’s cancer diagnosis without a day off because it’s ‘season time.’”