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Indian engineer stunned by European manager’s unexpected response to leave request

The man was expecting a formal approval for his leave request, similar to what he has experienced in India, but he was told something completely unexpected by his manager.

Akhilesh, an engineer based in Paris, according to his X bio, recounted the moment when he first approached his European manager to request leave (Representative image/Pinterest)

An Indian engineer working in Europe recently shared an experience that highlighted the sharp cultural differences between Indian and European workplaces, particularly when it comes to taking time off and applying for leave.

Akhilesh, an engineer based in Paris according to his X bio, in an X post, recounted the moment when he first approached his European manager to request leave. What happened next took him by surprise. Expecting a formal approval process similar to what he was used to in India, Akhilesh was told something completely unexpected by his manager.

“No, you just inform me with reasonable notice. It’s part of our contract, not something I grant,” his manager said, explaining that paid leave is a contractual right, not a privilege requiring permission.

In the now-viral X post, Akhilesh contrasted this with his experience working in India, where the process was far more hierarchical and drawn out. “In India, I had to apply for approval, then remind him to grant the approval via emails,” he wrote, pointing out how employees often had to follow up repeatedly, almost pleading for their time off to be approved.

See the post here:

when i started working in europe, i remember how i requested for leave approval from my manager and he was like ‘no, you just inform me with reasonable notice. it’s part of our contract, not something i grant’

in india, I had to apply for approval, then remind him to grant the…

— akhilesh (@akhileshutup) May 2, 2025

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His post resonated with numerous social media users, sparking conversations about the broader cultural differences in how employee rights are perceived across workplaces globally. “Once I applied 4 months in advance, had to remind him every month, till the very last day,” a user wrote. “Keep aside leaves. Many times you have to come back after leaving the office for the day,” another user commented.

“I went to US and after first month my boss was like why do you come to office everyday and specially on Friday. Unless you like to drive,” a third user reacted. “India is a country of slaves where most managers think of themselves as a rulers or entitled beings,” a fourth user wrote.