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Journalism of Courage
A Reddit post comparing workplace norms in India and Europe has gone viral, igniting a conversation about how freely employees can discuss their personal schedules with colleagues.
Titled “Work Culture Shock: India vs Europe,” the post included a screenshot of a Microsoft Teams message from an employee in Europe that read: “Good morning! Heads up on my schedule next week. I am off Monday, then WFH/personal time the rest of the week. I have my three kids, as my wife is out of town. I’ll keep the team posted if I cannot attend individual meetings.”
The Redditor then posed a question that hit home for many: “Can we Indians post like this in Teams?” hinting that such honesty might not sit well in most Indian offices.
The post quickly gained traction, with users joking that sharing a message like that in India would be “the fastest way to get fired.” Others saw it as a reflection of the stark difference in work culture, where European companies tend to respect personal time and promote work-life balance, while Indian workplaces often expect employees to be available round the clock.
Many users reacted saying that in Europe, trust drives work and in India, it’s availability that defines it.
A Redditor wrote, “I work for a UK based company, have a British manager and this is exactly how we work. Don’t even have to give a reason for taking the leaves.”
Another user commented, “If any Indian did , Fastest way to get out of a company.”
A third user said, “My Indian colleagues writes a longass paragraph on why they need a leave and US guys just put “taking leave” I got a Indian colleague who works for 14+ hours every monday as he covers for another Indian who works in indian day time ( US night) he writes this hugeass paragraph saying how and why he was covering for this guy and he’s logging off. It sounds so desperate for attention and no one gives a shit lool. Overtexting on teams isn’t a good idea and i don’t even say good morning in groups. Only use of teams for me is meeting and saying “taking meal break”.”
A fourth individual sheared, “I do this, not all indian managers are toxic! That’s why i don’t wanna switch even though pay might be a bit below market standard.”
