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Work Culture, Ethics, Time at work, Importance – India vs. America
Work occupies most of our life, if you think about it…officially you are supposed to work for 8 hrs to be considered full time. But, people work differently in different countries depending on the culture. If you are planning on settling in a country, this is something very serious to think about. Let me share my thoughts on this…This article is part of the Series: Settle in US or India? Life in USA vs. India? Move back?
Work Culture in US vs. India, Time at work, Importance of Work ?
As I mentioned in previous article about Work Culture in America, most of the people in America tend to work only 8 hours a day. Typically, they work from 8 AM to 4:30 PM or early. It is common to take 30 min lunch break. Some eat at desk and some just grab a quick lunch. When it comes to importance of work, people consider work as just work and not LIFE. With few exceptions, they do not worry about work after they go home or even work on weekends doing work. It is just way the culture is…Work is just part of life and NOT life…As per ethics, most people tend to have good work ethic, they work when supposed to work and get their job done on time. Deadlines are critical part, you should never miss any deadlines…being on time is important.
Unlike in India as I talk to my cousins, friends, juniors working in IT, they go to work at 9 AM or so and come home at 9 PM. Most of them stay at work for 12 hrs. It is not necessarily working for 12hrs…there is a difference…people take long lunches, tea breaks, other breaks….The reality is, because most of the software engineers are single, they tend to stay at work….but as life progresses and you become senior and become manager, you may come home a little early… People work late hours, they sometime work on weekends…Unfortunately, Work is viewed as the thing in Life trying to succeed and get promotion or anything like that…There is nothing wrong with it…it is just the culture that shapes the environment….work ethic is more relaxed, you just work long hours and spread it over….deadlines are important, but people tend to negotiate with boss, being on time is important, but not strictly followed….These are just some differences and constantly changing as east is adopting west.
Decision about work life for Settling in US vs. India
Lets do math here, 1/3rd ( 8 hrs) of your life is tied to work and if you are young and living in India and working in IT, then your life is tied more than that it is almost 50% more ( 8 + 4 hrs) than what you would spend in US. Although, east is embracing west and we are trying to adapt many things, still the differences remain. Unless you are in a big managerial role and be able to work flexible hours, India is a questionable choice in this aspect…think about it logically, so much of your productive time in productive years of your life (22 – 32 or so) is just spent at work or doing work….I personally think you can do so may creative things and have fun in life if you live in US during these years. Unless you get flexible hours and have an option to work only 8 hrs a day, it is not a great choice to move to India from work perspective …. I hope that things will change in India as time progresses …but for now, this is how it looks.
What do you think about just this aspect of work Culture ?
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Hey.
I am permanent resident of Austalia. Recently returned to India on handsome salary in a metro. Being single is giving me enough time for me & thankfully I donot cook and clean of my own I can afford that luxury in India. Once maried, me & my husband’s salary would be equally decent.
Hence I have no regrets to leave Australia Though life & cultures are diferent but India is no diferent in terms of leisure activities and life if we are in decent position say minimum of 1 lac per month per person (say 2 lacs for a couple).
The quality of life in India doesnt mean only working hrs in office. It means – Any Indian earning 1.00 lac/month can afford driver for his car in Delhi apart from full time servant,washerman to wash and press his clothings etc. You come home at 9 pm. You will have food ready served by the maid. Clothings ready, driver picking up your laptop and briefcase to your car , holding the door open for you to take seat.One more thing 12hrs is not full working. If any Indian says that he works for 12 hrs continuously they are lying. They may hardly work for 9 hrs a day in 12 hrs shift. Rest is Lunch break, smoking break, and so many other breaks which you cannot afford in any other country.
Coming to taking a nap in lunch hrs, I have seen one German taking 1/2 hr compulsorily napafter lunch in his cabin (in India)shutting the door to his cabin retsricting anybody’s entry. Life is not so bad in India for efficient workers. Promotions, salary hikes is very very encouraging to efficient ones. Sky is the limit for efficients but for easy going lazy workers Indians is not so good. They earn less and always remain under pressure of loosing the job. US salary compared to India is really great. The limited working hrs is also very helpful for active and intelligent workers to utilize the spare time for learning extra skills. For lazy and easy going persons working for 8 hrs in US will also be seen as a burden.
So Mr.Kumar you mean to say all unemployed force in India is Lazy….??? What you know about India??? sitting in A/C office and spending parents money is easy okkkkk…. Go to field you will know the reality and pain of common Indian….. Go and have a look at BPO and Call center employees they are having very pathetic life…. People use to take 200 calls per day with only 1/2 an hr of break….reconcile 15oo trade entries….,respond averagely 100 emails per day….is all these people are LAZY to have to give answer MR.KUMAR…..you cant talk as you like about Indians…..you might born to rich family and enjoying their wealth….but here in India people struggle for even FOOD, CLOTHING,SHELTER & EDUCATION……go and see in the field how Indians farmers working day and night so that PEOPLE LIKE YOU GET FOOD….OKKKKKKKkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk…………
True Mr Sharma…. This is present scenario of indian work culture….. I agree to your word completely…..
You are absolutely right!
Its nice that US is a freedom country but india is also perfect country atleast something should be written about india also this i think
Before writing about work culture in India, I would introduce myself, I am post graduate from University of Madras and working in TCSeServe BFS BPO in Hedge Funds NAV calculation process working as Associate.
In India people are not hired but instead they are purchased and made slave by the companies, how it is done?
1.These BPO companies get huge out sourcing projects from USA and Europe. And to get very cheap labor force they go to various colleges (mostly pvt) and conduct ‘Campus Interview’, there is always some kind of understanding between colleges and these companies, the colleges(Mostly pvt colleges) gives good amount of money(which is actually collected from student as huge fees, to pay such a huge fees students goes for bank loan) to these companies to select their students for job.
2.Once they are selected, they (students) are given their offer letter with salary details, the interesting thing here is, every employee will have different salary for the same job position because companies fix pay for the freshers according to the reputation of the college the employee comes from. Employees ability and knowledge does not matter.For freshers the starting salary will be 150 US dollars to 200 US dollars per month.
3.The next thing is the new joiners have to sign 1 year to 3 years bond with the company which means the new joiner can not move out of the organization at any cost for the specified tenure as per the bond and have to compulsorily work under night shift for US projects .
4.Once all the formalities are over, the new joiners are given 1 week training by the old employees and then put on to his real work, the problem starts from here…,since the employee is new and working for the first time he gets many doubts but there will be no person to clear his doubts and this causes the delay and inefficiency in work performed, when the work goes for review the new employee is harassed like any thing and scolded very badly on the ground that 1 week off the job training is given then why there is a delay and inefficiency in the work, then the new employee has no answer to say any thing….even though the reviewer also knows that 1 week training is not sufficient to learn the job.
5.As the day passes…at the end of the month there is a time for salary pay…new employees are very happy, but when the salary actually credited to their bank accounts they get surprised by seeing their salary amount because they get less than what is been offered, they go to their immediate manager with the issue but manager send them to HR. Now comes the twist in the situation…HR say this is your cash on hand after deducting Travelling Expenses, insurance expenses, Provident Fund, local Govt taxes, Loss of pay, food coupons charges etc..the list is long…the new employee has no words to say because he has already signed the offer document and tenure bond.
6.As day passes the burden of work goes on increases and 9 hr (i.e 45 hrs in a week) official duty becomes 15 hr duty per day and later 24/7.
7.After one year, now its the time for performance appraisal, the new employees are very happy that they will get increment and bonus. After few weeks the performance results are declared, when employees open their letters they are surprised to see 25 US dollars as an annual bonus and 10% increment in their annual salary. but inflation would have gone to 15% to 20% in the same time.
8.After completing his bond tenure the company knows very well that the employee will leave the job…so they suddenly increase their salary very high in their last performance appraisal and given promotions, employee becomes happy with that and try to continue with the job forgetting all the pains suffered in the past.
9.but once again he is given huge burden of work and Torture from the top management for not meeting the deadlines. Now by this time the employee would have got married or have kids so he will not take the risk to quit the job and the management take full advantages of these situation.
10.In such a situation the employee start seeking for new job but in India it is very difficult to get higher rank job compared to lower rank job. And again the typical Indian society which starts asking 100s of question if we leave the job and sit at home and searching for another one…..And due to stress his/her health get affected followed by diabetic, back pain, sinus, migraine, miscarriage of pregnancy, etc….
This is what happens with many people in India how goes for Job…
I am adding few more points to my above discussion….
1.No over time work salary is paid….if paid it will 10% of (one day salary divided by no official working hrs per day).
2.During the absent of co employees his work also to be completed which gives lots of stress.
3.incompetent managers make the simple work as hell.
4.Because of over stress the employees take lots of unscheduled leaves which becomes punishment for those who comes regularly.
5. Because of over burden many new employees abscond themselves from the job.
6.Many employees are intentionally given low ranking in performance appraisal and sent out….so that few corrupt managers can get good lump some of money from various colleges for recruiting their college students…which in return increases the turn over of these colleges during admission and can demand good amount of fees from the students. 100% recruitment in colleges get good rating from Govt and create Good will in the print and paper media….
7.Companies can also very proudly says that they have recruited 1000s of people in a year and earns name and fame in the public….
8.All this recruitment drama is done at the cost of poor people of India….
9.To pay such a huge fees, bribe, donations to college authorities students and their parents…..1.Go for bank loan…2.Sell their jewelleries and properties etc…to build up future of their children…but actually they are cheated by these corrupt colleges and companies in the name of JOB.
Dear RD Sharma, your observations are absolutely correct, direct and practical. I feel any one who is not a born rich and brought up in India, will agree to fully.
Thanks Vittalkumar…..hope everyone understands this….the situation is becoming worst and worst now a days……
Mr Sharma,
It’s scary but true story, I can understand your stance. One thing I have to tell here is, one should be extremely worthwhile in his field of study/work; after all it’s a competitive world, isn’t it?
Happy childhood, proper educational guidance, ability to choose subjects (mainly based on interests and not always based on prospects), credits, soft skills, and moreover higher education (specialisation), altogether differenciate anyone from the mob. But it is true that not all 100 among 100 can be high-achievers.
But the fact (no offence) is, most (if not all) BPO employees are mediocre in their education, were unable to secure admissions in good universities in India (very less fee, no donations and some give stipend too) and have no ambition in life. It is true that parents have worked their whole life to fix them in a salary but such students unfortunately have to balance between ‘family economy’ and ‘their academic vis-a-vis professional mediocrity’.
In the same aspect, if you take an average achieving student in the US, (of course the American students are far worse in academics than an Indian under-achiever), they become successful easily because of maturity and liberty in thought. They identify their talent (not always Academic) and corroborate that layer and make it in to a career (though there’s been increasing unemployment in the US too). But we Indians, we know 2 things: IT (for the better) and BPO (for the worse).
Hence the take-home message is “it’s too complex and misleading to attribute our experiences to the failure of a system”.
Thanks Mr.Gupta, for sharing your valuable thoughts, but I disagree with you on few issues, as you said that BPO employees are “mediocre ” it is absolutely wrong and miss understood..They are all highly capable people…better than the Govt employees..,why people in India select BPO because of lack of opportunities and lack of Govt jobs…Am I rit??? If any one from remote India wants to become tennis player/Doctor/engineer/fashion designer etc can he become???? the answer will be NO… even though he tries with his 100% capacity then at the age of 40 or 50 he will achieve the desired level…In India we have huge talent but there are lack of infrastructure and poor quality of educational Institutions make it unexplored…here in India we very proudly praise our pioneer educational institutions such as IIM and IIT but these institutions are unable to secure their place even in top 50 universities of the world…so what we Indians have the options, other than at the mercy of BPO? Mr.Gupta….
Work Culture:
Since we are on the topic -
I am engineer in US who got burned and learnt that hard work alone does not pay.
I figured working like the super man for a company in the end makes you a slave
that can be used. Some of my friends were great workers in 22-32. Now by 40s they
are all crazy working as older managers like slaves for their companies. Most of them
have become zombies (lookup phychopaths). They hire and fire with impunity. They
bring their work and their bad attitudes home and torture their family – especially the
kids (who in their perverted mind see as liablities who simply do not grow up fast enough).
I chose a different path. I quickly understood that I am living in capitalistic country
(and a fast changing world that is moving into capitalism) were the key word is “capital”.
Work is only a means to earn enough to getby. whatever you do for the companies,
8hrs, 10hrs, 16hrs do not go towards you. They just get absorbed by the company.
What goes in your favor is what you do outside of work. The hobbies you learn, the books
you read, the courses you take, the friends you network and ofcourse the spouse and kids
who you love and spend time with. In the end that is all you carry forward to your
next real career move up (not the fake promotions that your company makes you beleive
that are yours).
Ignore my words (fellow indian middle class) and you will be left with nothing in the
end. No life, no health and certainly no capital.
I fully agree with @sree. Being a start-up engineer/coder for 5 years and entrepreneur/coder for 1 year, I second what @sree has expressed. ‘Work smart, not hard’ is easier said than done. Your brand spreads far from how much time you spent on coding or building something. Instead focus on following (which helps you in career, freedom/choices as well as satisfaction) -
*Hobby / Passion
*Volunteering / Teaching something that you are an expert of / Social Commitment
*Professional Networking (on job / off job)
*Domain expertise (don’t be a generalist ex. – Rails or JS coder or whatever)
*Brand you build online – Blogs/LinkedIn/Forum/GitHub/Open Source/YouTube Channel etc.
*Friend/Freedom/Self-examination = Happiness
*Get out of the “rat race” or “peer pressure”. It doesn’t matter.
With these you can proceed with career ladder (need little bit of “power politics” as well) or slowly migrate to a Micro-ISV /Consultancy that initially starts with paying your bill, eventually forking to a full-blown business.
Nobody is going to count your in-job-14-hours (other than some fake momentos) and any weekends-that-you’ve-spent-for-office. Don’t try to be a “Hero” or “Rokstar” etc. of your office/team (Delivery your stuff under deadline and with good quality. That’s it !). Your personal brand that pervades beyond office and to the industry you belong is far more important and eventually that will help you to make some important career moves – executive or non-executive.
Dear Sree,
I like your attitude. I agree completely with you and what I actually believe even before starting a career is, one should choose education that interests him/her, where he/she achieves well, works smart and when harmony prevails in one string, it of course resonates harmoniously in others too, ending up with a happy family and healthy 50s.
I found this article hard to believe. I work in a company where one third of the people in my department are Newly immigrated Indian (meaning they still do not have green card). They ( especially women) tend to work from 9 to 4:30 with one hour lunch. In addition, always ask for work from home for if they are pregnant or when kids are sick or they have to nurse the baby. Totally different from what this article said. Hopefully what I observed at work is not typical newly Indian immigrant.
I believe since they are now in the US they are following American culture. Perhaps they came here because they like this lifestyle and don’t like working long hours. What this article said might be true in general but possibly not applicable to everyone in India.
I found another great article about American work culture. It’s recent, and I think really illustrates a big issue going wrong in the American workplace. Check it out and share.
http://theamericanrose.blogspot.com/2012/09/cry-babies-weak-egos-of-americans.html
I found this article somwhat randomly. But anyways, I was born in NH, U.S. and I study at the University of New Hampshire. I recently did an internship through Fidelity Investments in Merrimack, NH, and I realized that at least 33% of the people working there are Indian. I found this quite interesting, because out of the NH population, the Indian ethinicity makes up about 1% at most. Within the entire Fidelity organization there are many Indians and Fidelity also has a location in India. Anyways, I’ve realized that American Indian work ethic tends to be much better than the average American’s work ethic, and it shows here in the state of New Hampshire.
I have never worked in US but would like to mention that work hours in India does not only mean 8+4 hrs. In the metro cities it most of the time means 8+4 (work)+2(travelling). For some the 2 hours becomes three hours during festive seasons and during rains (I have worked in Mumbai and know how painful the travel is). I am sure in US the travelling time for most of them is rarely more than 40-45 mins. Besides quality of life that you get in India is also miserable!! Whether you drive a i10 or a Merc, you have to drive through the same potholed roads, same horrifying and unruly traffic which definitely adds to your work stress!!
I don’t know what kind of social life Americans & NRIs are living spending 16 hours a day with family,then also divorce rate is highest in usa.I am sure that their daughters also start dating in a age of 12 against your wishes.These things u will rarely finf in india
Subbu,
You mentioned daughters dating at the age of 12 and not children dating at the age of 12. Just wondering if it is ok (in your opinion) for boys to date but not girls. Will give me an idea where you are coming from and how backwards your comment is.
correct
Well said Saurabh. To the bullseye!
I was just wondering whether we are wrong expecting gender inequality in the most backward rural societies of India, when there are educated sexists online!
Subbu I totaly disagree with you, India is a country of illiterates where 70% of population are not educated. Most of the divorce are not happening through legal courts but happens through Panchayat (Community Heads/panel). Here women and children are treated as slaves they are badly abused by powerful people. I think you don’t know anything about India. Please go to ground zero you will be surprised to see the pathetic conditions of women and children.
I am so amazed when a person such as you makes comments based on what they read and appear to have no real life exp. to base it on. In the USA people do not stay in miserable marriages. To live a happy family life is more important than to appear happy and stay married so statistics makes a culture look good. It is further ignorant to assume that young women start dating at 12 in all the USA. If it is so awful here then why is that so many other people from all over the world have but one clear goal in life … to come to the USA.
I will not talk negatively about the things in your culture that are result of a third world country mentality and ask you to take stock in your words and think before you speak.
Respectable, happy healthy families are also a part of the USA. Children are not all out of control and YES, men an women are considered equal. Hmmm could have something to do with that statistic you are so proud of.
If you can not live happy in your own country(India) there is no country which will make you happy. All Indians who have moved to US and hate India are big loser’s. You will move to US buys a Honda Camry do a get together with co-losers like you and feel so proud of your achievements. After some time you will buy a house and will invite all your losers friends to show off. In the mean time your kids will grow up and will hate anything to do with you, your loser friends and India. At some time of life they will run away and marry some American against your wishes. You will be living a comfortable miserable life. Good luck and keep hating India.
I think you are living in your own bubble . you don’t talk about India our working culture is same as working as a donkey accept it . and people who go there they are not looser and you talk about girls will marry against the wishes of NRI …. that means in India every one marry to their love…. you are such a looser … Don’t talk about our culture in India pissing is allowed in Public but not kissing .We will write Kamasutra but bot talk on sex issues …At least working in US they can afford a camry but India how much it will take for you to get the same thing … everywhere there is a corruption … what shit you talking about … Indian Hate each other on the basis of state ,language and religion … we are shit Race to exist on the planet ….
Kunal,
Looks like you are one big looser who have gone to US. In your mind you think you are better than everyone who is living in India. Good luck to you and your loser mind staying away from India. You deserve this. People like you are not welcomed in India. Your loser mind is going to run behind dollars all your life. Your fellow Americans will consider you as a smelly Indian. Enjoy your Camry there. First you will be on H1 being salve. Then you will run for green card. Once you get it you will be so happy(Loser). Then you will say that I am giving my kids best of both the worlds(HAHA that is funny).
Enjoy your Hell.
Actually speaking as an American, who was born and raised here… we do not think of Indians as “losers” nor do we think of them as “smelly”. They are some of the brightest people I have come across and my pharmacist and my mother’s doctor both are American-Indians. Whether the person is in America to study and then leave to go back to India, or to stay here and become an American citizen it doesn’t matter. Believe it or not, Americans are made up of every type of race, creed and color and religious beliefs and lack thereof.
(I apologize for using the term “American-Indian”, it is not meant to be derogatory but as a way to explain an American who is from or has ancestors from India.)
Why judge all Indians who come to America as losers? If they can get a better job and a more comfortable life, with the possibility of a better education for their children; then what’s the big deal??
When you say “American” are you referring to the Americans who are European-descended, (ie: caucasian), chinese, japanese, mexicans, french, canadian, native american or candian-chinese americans or japanese-mexican americans or… ? (No offense meant towards anyone in the USA who’s ancestors are from different countries or who’s parents have 2 or more ancestors from different countries).
As you can see, we are made up of a vast array of people who’s ancestors are from all over the world. So kindly explain which Americans you are speaking of?
FYI I am not an NRI or an “American-Indian” ….
Thank you Ellen ,
I like the way you go the message through. You are too kind.
Thank you Ellen ,
I like the way you got the message through. You are too kind.
Hi Ellen, I 100% agree with you. and I live in India and I know what is the condition here. Its very difficult to survive in this country….India is only famous for “CORRUPTION” other than this nothing is here. No value for talented people, the only work left for the graduates here is to become slave of big companies; work for 15 hours and get 150 to 200 US dollars as salary per month and shut the mouth or go and Beg for money from your parents. whole young life goes in earning and middle life in taking care of family and when become older money will be there but no energy to enjoy and 101 types of diseases will grab us and at last we Indians get peace only when we die and taken to grave yard.
If you are such a pride Indian, why you are following this blog(redbus2us..its not redbustoIndia)? Migration was/is always there in human history. Our forefather’s moved to better places (like river side , places better for agriculture etc.) If somebody moved to US doesn’t mean they are losers. They just moved for better opportunities.. And that’s their choice..(Somebody lose when they can’t achieve what they wish to) Probably its frustration inside you which make you to put comments like this.
(BTW, I’m an Indian staying in India)
I more or less disagree with both your comments and disagree completely with “Mr/Ms Indian”.
Kunal, you have a right point but you have replied emotionally thereby leaving a huge room for error. How can you forget that you too are an Indian? Please don’t make a statement, “you Indians..” and the decades of chaos should not make you call the whole race, shitty.
And not to mention the state of the art ignorance of “Mr/Ms Indian” !!
Kunal, I take back the sentence, “How can you… Indians..” in my above comment. But not the rest.
Every word you said is 100% true….. “At least working in US they can afford a camry but India how much it will take for you to get the same thing ” – and if I manage to juy somehow, all my life’s saving and future savings woudl be gone
..lolz
One Indian to another Indian
Jai Hind………. I love my India.
You have a strong point when you describe about kidsssss. Though I don’t agree that Indians living in US are losers but in some way or the other they are not as lucky as the people who are living in India with their family and earning big.
I see everything good …absolutely “A one” in USA but the only one thought which haunts me is about my kidddoooo who is growing here…. and is soon going to join her kindergarten(KG) in an elementary school. We parents are at best but I definitely agree that kids suffer because of our easy & comfortable life here in states. ( I have a house to show off and myself working with good bunch of people in IT & finance department and my husband is also doing good)
Some Indians living in US are not sure if they could get a job in india or no and some have opened small businesses to earn big bucks. And I am with them ……..end of the day everyone wants to live comfortably and happily and also to send money back home.
I want to thank you for bolding the thought of going back home in my mind. I have always told my husband that we want to move before my lil one starts her schooling and now that time has come and we are not even trying to get a job in India.
As an inference I could definitely say if you have all your brother, sister and parents living in usa then you definitely settle in USA and lead an awesome life. But if your family is in India then you should surely think about going back as otherwise you will always find something missing in your kid which otherwise would have been soiled in automatically.
I even think out loud and want to do something massive for my country, My India- my motherland.
But end of the day what counts is to be at yourself do always the best and right, everything else will fall exactly how Godji has planned for you. Be happy and healthy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is truly a very difficult topic. I am sure that I need to decide within 2-4 yrs otherwise I will be living away from my mother & my motherland. JAI HIND ….. love you India!!!!!!!!
Mr.Indian what you said even applicable to people living in India too….even here children do marriage against their parents….can’t they? If your so optimistic about India then there should not be any Old age homes, Nari niketan, property dispute, honour killing, rape, women and children abuse…etc…is it? They are not losers…actually we are the big big losers because we lost our grate talent by losing them, They moved USA because there is no opportunities for them here in India. I think your also one of the typical narrow minded Indian supporting typical,narrow minded, rich ,powerful and conservative Indians, who don’t have any other work….other than feeling jealousy at the progress of Indians residing outside the country and working hard for their famlies and nation. hats off to those grate Indians….who made India known to western countries.
RD Sharma,
I totally agree with your present thoughts. After reading this whole debate, we must make ourselves realize that every individual has their own thoughts and it is very important to understand the root before taking any decision based on our thoughts. To understand the root we must ask ourselves as to Why are we here? What we’ll become in the end? What we are trying to prove to this world?
Internationals who are living in USA may have different aspirations but they have some duty towards their nation. The should go back to their nation with a vision to create new opportunites for the comming generation. So that the new generation won’t face the problems that they are facing.
Hi Ishan
I totally agree with ur point that all NRI should contribute and help our nation financially and technically as well.
Thank yaar
I agree… working in US is definetly better…
I have worked in US for 5 years and nearly 2 years in India and can surely feel the difference….
In India you need to lie (saying “I have got fever” or something similar) in order to take a day leave to relax or go to some show or to take your pet to doctor….
In US you can openely say that you want to attend your child’s football match and can take leave from work for it.
You learn to work smart in US in terms of time utilization.
During 5 years of my stay in US I must have worked more than 8 hours max 30 days in total.
During 2 years of my work in India I have worked (rather stayed in office) more than 8 hours for atleast 1 year.
I can surely bet that you will have lot of personal time in US compared to India which is like a boon during your young life.
I have worked in some of the most reputed companies in India and found that Indians are adopting westren culture be it meeting deadlines or eliminating flattery and judging an employee by his/her quality of work. By my experience, I can surely tell one thing that if one is a good worker and is contributing positively to the company, he/she would never fail to impress the top managers and would be definetly appreciated.
Kumar,
I dont think working in India in our 22-32 is bad . I do feel wherever you are it mostly depends on the company you are working for. Am in India and i see the differences between my timings and my friends in diff companies . Good companies have really flexible timings, freedom to the employees and when we have such a lot of trust put in us we do work better , while some companies are torturous, asking der employees to work hard rather than smart ! Same applies for US too am sure .
Agree with you Namita. In India too, it depends on the org people work under, and many times, I have seen it depends on the employees too. Managers are hired from external orgs ( services based mostly), and they start expecting the folks to work 24/7 , which is against the respective org’s culture. People reporting under such managers somehow feel obliged to listen to them. But, if one is lucky to work in orgs, which do not support such environment, the sub ordinates can definitely speak up. I myself , have spoken up in such times, and thankfully, other folks follow the trend. Sadly, yes, cant say the same for all orgs
. Also, I feel that many ppl are just workaholics, and always in the run, such ppl cant be helped even if the org is good.
I Agree with you about the cultural differences in work style between east and west. In the east which is comparatively less prosperous, and development is in its initial stages people are rugged more. In contrast, the west is more prosperous and have a through understanding of work cultures. I have worked both in India, and US and feel the work culture is better-off in US and India is catching-up. But the slow nature of work here is creating a certain sense of inertia, and making us more relaxed. When we return to India it might take while to catch-up back with fast pace again.
Hello Mr. Kumar,
I am working on a report on business culture in India. If you or someone else could answer a few questions I would greatly appreaciate it.
I have always heard that in India it is customary to take rest periods/naps after lunch. Is this true?
Is gender an issue in the work force?
Are Americans well accepted in the India business world?
When an American accepts a position in India – do companies normally supply training on culture, ethics and business practices?
Are there any social expectations within the work force?
Thank you
Dana
Dana,
It is very hard to generalize the statements. These are just my thoughts.
I have always heard that in India it is customary to take rest periods/naps after lunch. Is this true?
Lunch is a social thing, people tend to take long lunch and socialize. This is slowly changing with western culture.
Is gender an issue in the work force?
India is fundamentally a patriarch society. It is changing with the westernization and gender is not an issue anymore…but still in the rural areas, it can be.
Are Americans well accepted in the India business world?
I would think in the Business world, yes well accepted.
When an American accepts a position in India – do companies normally supply training on culture, ethics and business practices?
I do not know for sure in India. I did not work much in India. In US, I have seen in my company americans do get cultural training when working with Indians and other internationals.
Are there any social expectations within the work force?
It is the work culture and respecting the boss, not disagreeing with boss directly in public, etc..
Thank you for your reply. Your answers will help my decisions on which topics I’ll discuss.
Dana
Welcome Dana !
Dana,
Only one thing I would like to comment on is – you mentioned taking naps during lunch hours or after lunch.
Well actually this kind of things were followed in India only 10 to 12 years before and that too mainly in Government jobs. Reason – gov employees does not have fear of loosing jobs during those days which has changed now. Gov due quick progress and development in India. Private and Publiv (Gov jobs) both has high risk if you do not give proper working hours and do not meet required deadlines. No chance these days if any one would even think of taking a nap during working hours. Such things happens but in rural areas where mostly people are not that educated or are farmers. A govt employee is considered to be a very important person even though he just a clerk in a village.
I hope this may help you.
REgards,
Victor
Thanks for adding more insights Victor !
Regarding Dana’s question about social factors (last question), I have another question on that topic.
In India if a coworker or boss invite you to their family members’ wedding or any family function what is the requirement one must attend? How does it look if we don’t attend?
Does it matter if that person is a boss or coworker?
Is it true that if we go we shouldn’t go empty handed? What do we bring to a wedding (as a gift)?
I don’t know where you get your information from for your article. You state that leaving work “on time” is the norm here and granted the few exceptions to that rule. I worked on both coasts and in between and worked in I.T. in the US for just under 30 years. I don’t know anyone who didn’t bring work home – Americans and otherwise. I do know people who left either on time or a little later. My last manager got angry with people who just put in 8 hours at work. Companies I worked for included – IBM (where a 12+ hour day wasn’t that atypical), Prudential, and ADP. If we didn’t put in the time, we knew we could be replaced.
Sam, I am not generalizing here, the info is only based on my experience. I worked in Midwest as well as in South and I did talk to few of my friends who work in coasts as well….What you said is true too…honestly, it totally depends on the work culture of company, your manager and other factors…Trying to compare on a macro level in this article…
As Kumar says yes it does depend on the company’s culture and few other factors. Another factor this depends on is the economy.
The last few years have been pretty bad. For those still with a job, they may be working the job of 3-4 people. In these cases there is no chance of working only 8 hours a day. People forsake meals to work throughout the whole day, sometimes not drinking water or even having restroom breaks. I am talking about IT and office jobs. People feared to lose their jobs so they won’t be lazing around. When they put in those long hours 10-14 or more hours a day they are working hard, not browsing net, going for tea breaks or simply being at the office to fill time cards. They are doing work. In the 90s I don’t think it was so bad when the economy was good. People were working less hours then. (My thought from learning from my and my friends/family’s experiences.)
Yes,
totally agree with you kumar, worked for IBM in US.. 8 hours+5hours, Generally.
I think it depends on your job in the USA. I know management brings work home (one of the reasons I don’t want to be in management). Depending on the job and if you are paid salary or hourly, will depend on how much work you bring home.
When I leave work, I leave everything at work behind. I work 40 hours a week and every hour over 40 that I choose to work is overtime pay (1 1/2 x my pay). Holiday pay is 2x my hourly wage. At my company they ask if we want to work overtime, we can if we want but it’s not mandatory, nor does it look bad to management. My company tries to balance work life with home life. They believe the happier their employees the harder they will work.
Hi Kumar,
This is a hot topic .. whenever two indians meet in US this topic will come.. just wanted to add like,
1.In India the salary hikes are very frequent … in my opinion i don’t think the hikes are frequent in US.Now a days indian IT companies are paying more salaries..
2.Career growth- In india one can get promptions ( becoming manager ,VP etc will happen fastly..) but in US it will take very long time to get into that position.
3.Job stability- i think in India the job stability is more compared to US.
thanks
Vijaya
Vijaya. You make valid points.
The reason I feel these points are true today is the economy of India is growing rapidly. If we saw US in the 90s during the IT boom, people were rapidly moving up and through organizations getting hefty pay increases within companies. Even other companies would scoop those people up and give a 10-20K raise! It was pretty wild.
In US… I think it is possible to move up the ladder but it is probably different than in India. I don’t know much about the Indian situation, but in US it depends on a worker’s merit. If they are at work and doing good, hard work their path to promotion is much quicker than someone who just does what they are told. Employees who go above and beyond what is expected of them, help others and look for mentoring opportunities that take them to the next step are more likely to get promoted. If the person is very enterprising and understands their field well, this can happen quickly. I have known people who because they were flagged by their managers as ‘having potential’ were immediately set up with supervisors who were ‘grooming them’ for the next level. Generally people are groomed and are not give a position in the next level just because they were there for a particular amount of time.
About the salary hikes in India- well they are needed as every 4 to 5 years due to inflation the cost of commodities in India doubles.it is difficult to survive on 2007 salary for the same job.
@kumar
it is smashing information, after reading this i am sure one will choose to be in usa only
need to say that.
good one
thanks
easwaran
I am not sure why we have to be so angry about choices made by individuals. It is ok to love your country and traditions and stay if you like. It is ok to leave and try new worlds and new things and it is ok to even adopt some new ways or hold strong in your cultural views. All this is fine. It is not ok, to judge others and we all get caught up in it. We are passionate in our beliefs they are a part of our core values and when cultures mix interesting, fun and frustrating things happen. The journey is our life and we are to live it as we see fit, with respect of others. Enjoy India, enjoy America. Be happy do not harm each other. Show compassion in your choices and above all remember we are all human.