'No fixed hours, no pressure': Indian man working for Canadian startup compares work culture, sparks discussion
A social media post by an Indian professional has gone viral for highlighting the stark difference between work cultures in India and abroad.
An Indian professional’s X post has gone viral for highlighting the stark difference between work cultures in India and abroad. Karan, who works remotely for a Canadian startup company, shared how his job abroad feels completely different. “I work remotely for a Canadian startup!” he wrote, before listing all the perks that make his work-life balance smoother than most Indian offices.
“Despite working remotely, the hours differ from India,” Karan said, adding that the company offers flexibility and freedom instead of micromanagement. Among the perks he listed were “no fixed office hours, just Friday-to-Friday updates,” “competitive salary,” and an “informal culture where everyone uses first names.” He also mentioned that there was “no US shift work” and “near-equal team pay,” along with an environment that encouraged open idea-sharing and avoided unnecessary pressure from leadership.
“With this freedom, no project has been delayed; all are on time. Their mindset is to deliver projects and take a week off for learning. No one cares about working hours; we sometimes work weekends or relax all week. Indian companies are stuck in an endless workforce grind,” he said. “I’d never prefer a job at an Indian company, even with a better CTC,” he declared.
However, in a follow-up comment under the same post, Karan revealed that the setup isn’t all rosy. “Firing is also fast. No one helps you in real time. Any turbulence in the US can affect my job. Staring at the screen for 10 hours a day in a dark room is torture,” he admitted.
(Also Read: ‘I hate leaving office early’: Gurgaon man shares why he prefers late working hours)
How did social media react?
Karan’s post quickly went viral, sparking a conversation about the differences between Indian and global work cultures.
“We do need to change the working culture in Indian companies if we want to attract and retain best of employees,” one user commented.
“I recently resigned from my company just because of this, founder wanted me to work after hours and I was on a date,” shared another.
One user wrote, “Currently working for a US based firm, working hours don't matter much but deliverables do, you have very slight immunity if you screw up. Apart from this, there's no politics, unnecessary timings bs,” while another remarked, “Same experience. I am with Swedish firm. They are chill and work is like govt job for me.”
“I can never imagine working for Indian companies after all the companies I’ve worked with from outside India. The closest experience is me getting scammed while freelancing by an Indian client. Never again,” commented one X user.
