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‘Just inform’: Indian engineer surprised by European manager’s response to his leave request
Indian engineer shares experiences of differing leave approval processes in Europe versus India, emphasizing cultural work differences.
An Indian engineer in Europe has revealed a small instance that perfectly encapsulates the difference between the work culture of the two regions. Akhilesh, whose X bio claims he is an engineer working in Paris, took to the social media platform to reveal how Indian managers compare against European managers when it comes to leave approvals.
India vs Europe
Akhilesh said that when he first started working in Europe, he approached his manager asking for his leave request to be approved. The manager’s response left him surprised. He told the Indian engineer that paid leaves are a part of his contract, and as such do not require ‘approval.’
“No, you just inform me with reasonable notice. It's part of our contract, not something I grant,” the manager told Akhilesh.
He contrasted this with India, where he first sent a leave request to his manager and then followed up with emailed reminders, pleading that his request be approved. “In India, I had to apply for approval, then remind him to grant the approval via emails,” he recalled.
Work culture differences
The post has sparked a lively discussion on the differences between India and Europe when it comes to work culture.
“This is drilled into our minds from school days, how to write a leave letter requesting to grant leave approval. It just continues in adulthood also. But flipside is the fact that the whole idea of advance notice/planned leaves don't exist. And sick leaves are taken so random,” wrote X user Pramod.
“India is a country of slaves where most managers think of themselves as a rulers or entitled beings,” a person opined.
“Akhilesh, my experience in India is different with young generation. I am handling team if 40 and no one is taking prior approval, they are simply following HR policy,” another countered.
In France, the standard legal working week is 35 hours. Any work beyond the 35-hour threshold qualifies for overtime pay. India, on the other hand, has no statutory limit and working hours differ from sector to sector. However, 45-hour weeks are the norm, but employees often work much more than that without overtime pay.
