In an increasingly interconnected world, the sun never sets on the corporate clock. For Indian professionals working in global companies, this often translates to a demanding and distorted version of “flexibility,” one that blurs the lines between day and night, work and rest.
Recently, a corporate employee based in India shared their experience of having to attend a client meeting scheduled at 5 AM, not because of an emergency or critical deadline, but simply to align with a client’s comfort in a different time zone.
“I had to wake up at 4:30 AM just to be on time. Because apparently, being late is illegal in corporate India,” the post reads.
What does the post explain?
The post tells us the troubling norm in globalised work environments: employees in lower-cost regions like India are frequently expected to contort their personal lives to suit clients abroad, often in the US or Europe.
While companies tout this as “flexible working,” it can lead to serious consequences for mental and physical health.
“I already juggle 10 different tasks daily. Now I’m expected to be awake and presentable before dawn, just to cater to someone sitting comfortably in a different time zone,” the employee laments.
The post questions the very premise of professionalism in today’s work culture: “Is this what we signed up for? Sacrificing sleep, health, and peace of mind just to keep clients happy?”
Work-life balance has become a buzzword in corporate HR handbooks, yet for many Indian employees, it remains a distant dream. The pressure to always be “on” reflects a culture where human needs are often secondary to client satisfaction and quarterly targets.
Yet, the grind continues. “I feel like a caffeine-powered machine with no time for life,” the employee wrote.
“Indian companies are toxic”
Netizens also posted their comments on the post. A user wrote, “I did this for more than a decade and then left for a fully Indian company. Yes this new place is smaller and is a lala company but atleast I go to work at 9:30 and comeback at 6:30 and don’t have to worry after that cos everyone else is also in India and is at home resting.”
“Indian companies are toxic, I work for a good tech product company, and my manager treats us like donkeys. The managers would drop off time mails or on Sundays to show they’re working hard, but in reality it’s us doing the grunt work,” added another.
“Even my team is multinational, with people in New York City, Toronto, Singapore, and Hong Kong, but my last meeting ends before 8 pm at worst. Unless op was on-call or dealing with critical failures, a standup call needn’t be this early,” stated a user.
“At least I’m not alone in thinking this. A lot of people chase the Big 4 consultancy firms, don’t get in and settle for the other consultancy firms. Every single consultancy MNC has these timings set according to the client they are servicing. It’s nothing new,” noted another.
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