‘In Australia, work fits into life; in India, life fits around work’: LinkedIn post sparks debate on work-life balance

He pointed out that this was not an unusual routine but simply a normal day in Australia – a stark contrast to common work patterns in India.

He added, “8:30 pm in India: Office lights still on. Or brake lights in traffic. One hand on the wheel, one eye on WhatsApp. ‘Joining in 2 mins’. ‘Can we quickly review this?’ Sunday evening: Laptop opens. Deck opens. Life closes. All for a Monday morning review.”

According to Garg, although many professionals in India are achieving impressive career milestones, meaningful ‘me time’ often feels out of reach. He further explained, “Most of us here are doing well. Good degrees. Good careers. Good salaries. Fast growth. But also: Fortnightly calendar date nights just to catch up with your partner, kids waiting for you to ‘finish one call’, Swiggy dinners at 11 pm, step count lower than screen time, markets checked more than health reports. And underneath it all: A quiet, constant pressure. Am I doing enough? Earning enough? Growing fast enough? Because someone else always is.”

He wrapped up the comparison by writing, “In Australia, work fits into life. In India, life fits around work. Not saying one is right. But it does make you wonder: Did Tier-1 India trade the basics for luxury?”

Check out the post:

‘Hit closer to home’

The post quickly attracted reactions from users who resonated with the observations. One user wrote, “This hit closer to home! Having worked in London and now back in India, the contrast is something I’ve lived firsthand, not just observed. But I’d say it’s a trade-off more than a verdict. In India, we have things that are genuinely luxurious by global standards be it your house help, cooks, drivers, someone to handle the groceries, the laundry, the dishes. The stuff that quietly eats into your evenings abroad. In London, ‘doing chores together’ is a daily activity and sometimes even a bonding ritual. So yes, work bleeds into life more in India. But life also comes with more support built in. Abroad, you get your evenings back. In India, you get your mornings taken care of. Neither is perfect. Both are a version of enough!”

Another user commented, “The quiet constant pressure underneath all of it, am I doing enough, earning enough, growing fast enough – is the part that makes this more than a work-life balance observation. That pressure doesn’t come primarily from the job. It comes from a comparison environment that is specifically designed to make sufficiency feel perpetually out of reach.”

A third person added, “This is a good food for thought. If we are focusing more on financial reports than health reports, then we better know that these financial reports will be paying for the health that we did not take care of.”

Meanwhile, another comment framed the difference as one between opportunity and insecurity, stating, “The difference is ‘Scarcity’ vs. ‘Abundance.’ In Australia, if you don’t check your email on Sunday, your life doesn’t change. In India, there are 10,000 people waiting to take your spot if you slow down. It’s hard to choose the ‘beach walk’ when you’re running a race that feels like it has no finish line. The question is: At what net worth do we give ourselves permission to stop running?”