A viral video of an Indian office employees dancing as they welcomed a foreign client has become the center of online debates. It sparked some instant controversies, with many observers delivering criticism. They accused this act as, “undignified,” “cringe-worthy,” “unprofessional,” and much more.

While its not sure about the name of the organization, a few commentors on Reddit claims that the employees could be of Infosys speculating from the template of the ID Card. The entire incident overall forced wider conversations on workplace norms and India’s corporate culture.

Social Media Slams the office dance

The entire controversy revolves around a circulating clip on Reddit and X. The clip in question showed the employees performing to the Telugu (Killi Killi) and Bollywood tracks (Main Tera Boyfriend). The visible foreign client, who initially just watched, eventually joined in on the dance. However, despite it, the internet was not that welcoming. The critics have completely blasted the entire act, calling it “bootlicking” and a desperate attempt. They further argued that it undermines professionalism.

While many called it “Circus act” and not corporate welcome, others questioned ‘where is employee dignity and self-respect?’ Some even went ahead to label the entire act as vulgar, cringe, pathetic, and cheap, suggesting such displays just reinforce outdated power dynamics.

India may be called as the powerhouse of IT but the reality is that most of the foreign clients prefer Indian IT companies only because of its cheap labour due to currency differences. Indian IT companies haven’t innovated anything substantial in the last few decades which has a unique selling point and this fact was well highlighted by Sabeer Bhatia in one of the interviews for which he received a lot of backlash.

The entire backlash that came in highlights the growing frustration of the observers over the workplace norms, which prioritize performative hospitality and not genuine professionalism.

Some even went ahead to call for the balance, saying, ” Indian IT Offices should NOT go overboard with “Aththi Devo Bhavah:” and behave Elegantly / professionally when welcoming a Foreign Business Partner or Client. Welcoming in Traditional way is just fine. Weird dance numbers are NOT.”

While the other wrote, “Office dance for a foreign client? More like a circus act than a corporate welcome. Indians trying too hard to impress, but it just looks desperate and unprofessional,” pointing to professionalism being the major concern here.

Despite the lone supporter taking a stand, the entire social media seems to be full of nothing but sharp and outrage-filled comments.

Intense debates arise over workplace culture

All the reactions coming from observers point to deep cultural tension in the Indian workplaces. The critics consider the performances to be indicative of lingering colonial attitudes or the increased eagerness to please foreign clients, which, at times, comes at the cost of the dignity of their employees. However, the actual debate is extending beyond such a dance routine.

The conversations are now touching on how professionalism gets defined, workplace celebrations and their boundaries, apart from the image that the Indian corporate culture is projecting globally. While some are trying to defend it as just team bonding and hospitality, the mass online response has simply framed the entire act as a “step too far.” It is leading to necessary and uncomfortable conversations on representation and respect within modern offices.