Germany Job Experience: Indian software engineer Kaustav Banerjee working in Germany is in discussion on social media these days. He recently shared a post on Instagram, in which there is a big difference between the work culture of India and Europe. In this post captioned “Differences in work culture”, he wrote that while working in India, his professional life was full of constant pressure, fast pace and tension. According to him, he did not even know the meaning of “work-life balance” until his graduation in 2013.

As soon as jobs started in India, employees were expected to give 200 percent every day. Situations like overwork and burnout were common. He said that in such an environment, it became almost impossible to find time for one’s health, mental peace and family. Even holidays and compensatory leave remained only on paper and were difficult to avail.

Work culture problem in India

Kaustav told that while working in India, no one ever asked him how he was, work was considered everything. Even applying for leave seemed like a battle. The holidays available after working on weekends were also often not utilised.

He said that in India’s corporate culture, personal life is often ignored and interference in employees’ personal time is considered normal. This is the reason why many people become victims of mental fatigue and stress. After Kaustav’s post surfaced, many users on social media agreed with the problems of Indian work culture and described it as a real experience.

“People are more important than work” in Europe

There was a big change in Kaustava’s life after coming to Germany. He told that the work culture in Europe is completely different from India. Here, employees are considered completely ‘off’ as soon as office hours end and they are neither expected to answer mails at night nor work on weekends. In Europe, employees are given adequate time for family, health and personal life.

It is normal to take 25 to 30 days of paid leave annually and companies encourage employees to utilize the leave fully so that they can return to work refreshed. Many companies also offer counseling, therapy, and support programs for mental health. According to Kaustav, in Europe “people are more important than work” and overwork is not considered hard work but a flaw in the system.