An NRI woman living in the US has sparked a discussion on social media after sharing her views on the difference between corporate work culture in India and America. In a video posted on Instagram, Sarika Yadav said that the most noticeable difference she has observed is the flexibility employees get in the American workplace.
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Taking to Instagram, Yadav said, “Guys, there is a lot of difference between the corporate work culture of India and America. And the main thing that I feel, you know, is flexibility. Here in America, people go every day to drop and pick up their kids from school and they block their office calendars. And at that time, no one else schedules a meeting because they are busy at that time. And even if someone does schedule a meeting, they first ask you, ‘Hey, your calendar looks busy.’”
She added that the same understanding is extended when employees have a doctor’s appointment or any personal errand. According to her, people simply block their calendars and do not have to explain themselves to their managers.
‘There is no acceptability that personal work can also happen’
Comparing this with her experience in India, Yadav recalled an incident where an employee had to go home during office hours to collect an important courier.
“But if we talk about India, I have seen that once a guy in our office had to go home to collect a courier, it was an important courier. And after that, there was such a fuss in the office. For a long time, this kept going on: ‘Oh, he leaves in the middle of office hours just to get a courier from his house.’ The point is not that he went home, the point is that there is no acceptability that personal work can also happen during office hours. Job is a part of life, it is not life,” she said.
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She further noted that accountability exists in both countries, but the approach towards employees’ time is different. “Here in America too, the people who work, everyone takes accountability, they do their work, and the same happens in India too. But the work culture is so different that here in America, people work with full flexibility, and they work on weekends only if there is an emergency, otherwise they don’t log in. And in India, the 8 hours that you are in the office, it means you just have to stay in the office, you can’t go anywhere else,” she added.
The clip was shared with the caption, “America ka IT work culture.”
Watch the clip here:
Internet reacts
The video drew a few reactions from social media users. One user wrote, “This is exactly what Indian workplaces need to understand.” Another said, “Flexibility does not mean people will stop working.” A third commented, “In India, sitting in office is still treated as productivity.” Another user wrote, “This is why work life balance matters so much.” Someone else said, “Managers need to trust employees more.” Another added, “Accountability and flexibility can exist together.”
HT.com has reached out to the user for her comments, and the copy will be updated once her response is received.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
