Indian woman in Amsterdam shows empty office at 5 pm, internet says 'Normalise this everywhere'

The clip, shared on Instagram, showed rows of vacant desks and workstations, with not a single employee in sight once official hours ended.

An Indian woman living in Europe has sparked a lively discussion online after sharing a video that captures what many in India would consider a rare sight - an empty office floor by 5 pm. The clip, shared on Instagram by user ‘livewithjyoti’, showed rows of vacant desks and workstations, with not a single employee in sight once official hours ended.

The video has left many Indians both amused and envious of the European work culture. (Instagram/@livewithjyoti)

The video, captioned “Corporate shock,” quickly went viral, leaving many Indians both amused and envious of the European work culture. For viewers back home, where long hours and late evenings are often seen as the norm in the corporate world, the sight of employees leaving on time felt surprising.

What intrigued many was not just that people left at 5 pm, but that office hours ended so early in the first place.

Reacting to the post, one user wrote, “The main point to be emphasized is the work ethics. Most of the folks in west start their work day early at 8 am or even before and work without those “chai sutta breaks”, group discussions, lunch discussions etc. they work, they eat alone or at their desk, wrap up their work and leave. In India work style is different, the culture is different.”

“They are actually living the life and job is just a part of it, in India we are living for job and everything comes after it,” commented another.

“Just bring one Indian manager here, everything will change. Kidding, they have strict laws there,” one user joked.

“My uncle moved to sweden 10 years back and never returned to India again. He said his working time in india was 9-7 but it came to 10-5 pm including 1 hour of lunch breaks. He built his home there itself and settled happily,” shared another.

Some users also stressed the importance of adopting healthier work-life balance policies in India. “My Asian soul is shaking! Pls normalise this EVERYWHERE,” one user said, while another added, “5 PM in our office is considered a half day.”