"I Feel Drained, Disconnected": Indian Employee On Facing Workplace Taunts After Europe Trip

In recent months, Reddit has become a popular platform for employees to share their job struggles and workplace concerns. Several subreddits have emerged where employees anonymously share their stories and also connect with others who face similar challenges. Now, an employee sparked a discussion online about Indian work culture after claiming that she faced passive-aggressive behaviour from her colleagues after returning from her Europe trip. In her post, titled "Just came back from Europe and I'm genuinely questioning what we're doing in Indian workplaces", the woman said that the sarcastic remarks from her colleagues left her "drained and depressed". 

"I land back in India. I go to the office, feeling refreshed, smiling and instantly, the HR gives me that look. 'Aaj toh madam Europe se time mil gaya?' Another colleague chimes in: 'Bas ghoom lo, kaam toh yahin karna hai na.' All in that taunting, passive-aggressive tone we've mastered here," the woman wrote. 

Just came back from Europe and I'm genuinely questioning what we're doing in Indian workplaces
byu/Opposite-Size3928 inIndianWorkplace

In the following lines, she claimed that she returned to over 200 unread emails, urgent messages and unplanned late-night meetings. "And the worst part? We glorify this. We wear burnout like a badge of honour. We think rest = laziness. If you take time off, you're 'not serious about your career,'" she continued. 

The woman further said that the whole situation left her feeling "drained, disconnected and low-key depressed". "It's like Europe reminded me what being human feels like and coming back here reminded me what being a corporate robot feels like," she wrote, concluding her post.

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Since being shared, the post has gone viral, sparking a discussion about India's work culture. 

"I am also in one of those teams wherein they chant "work is prayer" type slogans. I can totally relate to you, there are a lot of people I know working in the EU, and they mention the relaxed attitude and respect towards employees' culture. I feel sad, but can't do anything, cause for 90% of roles, if you resent/rebel against such a toxic environment and work culture, there are thousands who will replace you tomorrow, especially in the current market," wrote one user. 

"Been there... Seen that... Problem is we have too many people. The capitalist overlords know if we don't do gadha majdoori, someone else will do it and probably for lesser compensation," commented another. 

"This is because Europe is a rich place, and if a country is rich, it takes good care of its citizens. India is a poor country, and all we have to offer to the world is our cheap labour, which is, believe me, heavily exploited here," wrote a third user. 

"The problem is that the same European people take us for granted and make us work extra hours while travelling daily in worse conditions," expressed one user.