- Russian content creator Yulia shared differences between Indian and foreign office cultures on Instagram
- Indian colleagues often check if others have eaten and do not leave before senior staff leave
- Late-night work calls and competitive, high-pressure environments are common in Indian offices
A Russian woman has gone viral on social media after she shared a post detailing the striking differences between Indian and foreign office culture. Content creator Yulia, who has been living in India for 12 years, took to her Instagram to share a post titled, 'Things considered normal in Indian offices but normal abroad', where she listed her observations.
"When I started my career in India 12 years ago, I was amazed when my colleagues used to care and ask me if I had my breakfast, tea/coffee, and lunch," Yulia wrote, calling it a "super sweet and welcoming restart" to her professional journey.
She highlighted that her Indian colleagues did not leave the office until the top hierarchy left the premises, while picking up calls late at night for work was a 'normal' behaviour.
Yulia said people in India were super hardworking, but the environment was "highly competitive and the work style often carries loads of pressure".
" [They] compete with teammates from different departments. And I feel that it comes from a highly competitive environment and lots of young talent in the country. Politics is on a very different level and statement, unfortunately," she said.
She added that people travelled for over two hours from one side for work and avoided direct 'no' in answers.
"Living for work, vs working for a good life. Many young, ambitious talents do carry responsibilities for the whole family (and not only ma and pa, as well as other relatives). Obviously, it adds lots of pressure that leads to focus ONLY on work."
See the viral post here:
'As an Indian..'
As the post went viral, garnering significant traction, social media users largely agreed with Yulia's assessment while pointing out that several of her points highlighted the unhealthy work practices that had seeped into the Indian corporate culture.
"Mostly correct observations," said one user, while another added: "As an Indian, I don't like the work culture. Managers are too involved in personal matters. No privacy. Fully partial. Even the entitled holidays cannot be used."
A third commented: "That's a sharp observation. I do enjoy the festival celebrations. When you over work, these are few days that helps you to balance that frustration."
Yulia first arrived in India in 2012 for an internship that she completed in five months before leaving for Russia. However, a couple of years later, she returned to buy an Elephant for a circus and ended up staying back. Since then, she has managed to raise a family and build her business from scratch.
