Your boss saw your Tinder profile

Gin and tonics, WFH lies, and HR-level awkwardness, what could possibly go wrong?

By Tiya Chugh

Some stories begin with awkward silences. This one starts with a swipe. Imagine your boss swiping through Tinder on a lazy Sunday evening and suddenly pausing. Not because they found the one, but because they found, well, you. It’s 11:07 a.m. on Monday, and you’re halfway through a pitch presentation in the quiet conference room and then, it happens. Your boss clears his throat and casually, and remarks, “Loves long drives and gin tonics? Interesting taste, by the way.”

You freeze. Because what just flashed on his laptop wasn’t a spreadsheet, it was your Tinder profile. Welcome to corporate horror 101!

“I think my boss would actually help me write my bio,” laughs Twinkle Chugh, 27, a corporate lawyer at EverEnviro. “After every bad date, she insists I show her the guy’s profile, like she’s HR for my love life.” In 2025, some get a promotion, others get a boss who’s also your part-time dating app editor.

“Honestly, my profile bio says I hate Mondays and aggressively support naps,” says Kunal Ahuja, 20, a researcher at Lincoln University, New Zealand. “If my boss saw it, he’d probably just mark me ‘Out of Office’ permanently” he adds. Which is fair, most of us haven’t looked a 9 am in the eye without resentment since 2019.

What could go wrong? Your boss matches and messages,“So this is why you didn’t reply to my Teams ping?” Or your boss realises you’ve been in Goa every weekend, while your attendance says WFH (everyone’s favourite, work from home). And maybe spotted with a co-worker in the same frame (cropped, but not cropped enough). What could go right? They swipe right, too. And you both silently agree to never speak of this HR horror story ever again. Pinky promise.

A twister? What if your dating app suddenly becomes part of your performance review? You’d start treating it like a CV. You wouldn’t dare write “weekend traveller” unless you’re ready to justify why your timesheets say remote from Lucknow, but your Insta tagged you in Lonavala. And “gym rat”? Better hope your boss doesn’t spot you eating pani puri behind the office gate at 6:04 pm.