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 pe
ople 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 a
nd some just grab a quick lunch. When it comes to importance of work, people co
nsider work as just work and not LIFE. With few exceptions, they do not worry a
bout work after they go home or even work on weekends doing work. It is just way
the culture isWork is just part of life and NOT lifeAs per ethics, most people te
nd to have good work ethic, they work when supposed to work and get their job do
ne on time. Deadlines are critical part, you should never miss any deadlinesbeing
on time is important.
Unlike in India as I talk to my cousins, friends, juniors working in IT, they g
o 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 12hrsthere is a differencepeople take long
lunches, tea breaks, other breaks.The reality is, because most of the software en
gineers are single, they tend to stay at work.but as life progresses and you beco
me senior and become manager, you may come home a little early People work late h
ours, they sometime work on weekendsUnfortunately, Work is viewed as the thing in
Life trying to succeed and get promotion or anything like thatThere is nothing w
rong with itit 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 strictl
y followed.These are just some differences and constantly changing as east is ado
pting west.
Lets do math here, 1/3rd ( 8 hrs) of your life is tied to work and if you are yo
ung 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 diffe
rences remain. Unless you are in a big managerial role and be able to work flex
ible hours, India is a questionable choice in this aspectthink 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 creativ
e things and have fun in life if you live in US during these years. Unless you g
et 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 i
n India as time progresses but for now, this is how it looks.
"In India, it is an accepted habit to work for 10 hours; in the US, it is an exc
eption to the rule," says Dr Pawan Goenka, who shares his experiences here.
My exposure to the US work culture has become a bit dated, being 18 years old, b
ut my travels have kept me abreast of the current situation there.
When talking about the work cultures in India and the US, the first thing that c
omes to mind are the myths that prevail about the so-called differences.
One of them is the relationship between the boss and subordinates. The general b
elief is that in India the relationship is very formal and hierarchical and it i
s not so in the US.
What I think is it varies from company to company. My work experience in India h
as been in only one company - M&M - and for us, there is a level of informality
and an open culture that I had not seen even in the US.
There have been instances when in meetings with the US companies, we have found
only the CEO speaking on their behalf while those of us from Mahindra had partic
ipated uniformly.
India has had a late start in succession planning and talent management. However
, it is fast catching up. There is a fair amount of time that all of the good co
mpanies here are spending on these two activities.