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'At 5 pm, your manager leaves before you': Indian man explains why Canada's work culture stands out
An Indian man said Canada’s respectful work culture and generous leave policies kept many immigrants from returning home.
An Indian IT professional living in Canada has sparked a discussion online after explaining why many immigrants may prefer staying abroad instead of returning home. According to him, the biggest attraction is not cleaner air, better food or civic sense, but a work culture that respects personal time and allows employees to take leave without unnecessary pressure.
Taking to Instagram, Rohit Gupta, who has been living in Halifax for the past seven years, shared his observations about the difference between workplace culture in Canada and India.
‘If your office ends at 5 pm, it ends at 5 pm’
“I've been in Halifax, Canada for the past 7 years, and currently working here as an IT professional. I've often heard from many people that Canada's water is good, food is good, air is good, civic sense is good, and that's why people don't want to go back to India. But bro, there's nothing like that,” Gupta said.
He argued that people who have spent the first two decades of their lives in India are unlikely to remain abroad simply because of better air, water or food.
“If you're not born and brought up here, and you've spent 20-25 years drawing on that same air and water—bro, the main reason is the work-life balance here,” he explained.
(Also read: Indian man makes ₹10 lakh, pays ₹5 lakh tax in Canada: ‘Moved to Toronto, left after 18 months’)
Highlighting the emphasis placed on fixed working hours, Gupta said employees were not expected to stay back merely to impress their seniors.
“I mean, if your office ends at 5 pm, it means it ends at 5 pm. You don't have to sit until 5:30 or 6 pm to work or impress someone. Even if you do, your manager will be happy—there's nothing like that; at 5 pm your manager will leave before you,” he said.
Taking leave without guilt
Gupta also contrasted attitudes towards leave in Indian and Canadian offices. He claimed that some employees in India were expected to arrange replacements and complete lengthy handovers even before taking a short break.
“In India, people are busy impressing managers, working until 8-9 PM, and secondly, taking leaves. I've heard that in my office, the Indian team... meaning if they take 2-3 days of leave, their manager goes crazy, saying ‘put your replacement, hand over KT, how will work happen for 2-3 days?’ and so on,” he said.
In Canada, however, Gupta said employees could take longer breaks by openly discussing burnout, homesickness or travel plans.
(Also read: ‘A day off isn’t really a day off in Canada’: Indian woman shares how life changed after moving from India)
“Here, bro, you can easily take 15-20 days of leave. You just have to tell them you're feeling homesick, you need to go to India, you need to go travel, you're mentally drained, and you'll get such a leave. Your manager will even appreciate that you spoke the truth and took a leave,” he added.
Watch the clip here:
Internet users agree
The clip drew several supportive reactions. One user wrote, “Yes, I agree with you,” while another commented, “You're right.” A third viewer said, “Whatever you said, I completely support.” Echoing the sentiment, another person added, “I also want this same kind of work culture in my office.”
HT.com has reached out to the user for his comments, and the copy will be updated once his 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.)
