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Indian woman in Sweden surprised by early office culture: ‘At 7:45, the parking lot is already 70% full’
An Indian woman in Sweden was surprised to find most employees arriving at work before 8 am.
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An Indian woman living in Sweden has shared one of the workplace culture differences that caught her by surprise after moving abroad: how early people arrive at the office. In a video posted on Instagram, Swati compared office timings in Sweden with what she had commonly seen in India and explained why many employees prefer starting their workday much earlier.
(Also read: Indian woman shares parents’ ‘culture shocks’ during Sweden trip: ‘Beta, even the air feels rich here’)
“One more cultural shock that I saw for the first time in Sweden was that people here arrive early in the morning for work. Right now it’s 7:45, I’ve arrived myself, but the parking lot is already 70% full. And in India, hardly anyone reaches the office before 9:00 to 9:30. So that was a huge, huge cultural shock for me,” she said.
‘One of the last cars’ at 8:15
Swati added that even reaching the workplace at 8:15 could feel late on some days. “Yesterday I arrived at 8:15, and I think I was one of the last three or four cars in the parking lot. Especially on certain days, like Mondays and Tuesdays, which tend to be busier, it gets really difficult,” she said.
According to her, the early start is closely linked to how people organise their family and work schedules.
“Most people drop their kids off at school around 7:00 in the morning and come directly to the office with a 'first in, first out' mindset - the earlier you arrive, the sooner you can head home and spend time with your family.”
She clarified in the caption that her observation was specifically about jobs similar to hers. “This video is about the desk/ office jobs like mine,” the caption read.
Watch the clip here:
Internet reacts to Sweden’s office routine
The video drew a few reactions from social media users, with several people appreciating the idea of starting and finishing work earlier.
One user wrote, “Early in, early out actually makes so much sense.” Another person said, “Finishing work early and having the evening free sounds perfect.”
A third user commented, “This work culture is definitely a cultural shock.” Another agreed with the idea of an earlier start, writing, “I would happily start early if it meant leaving early too.”
(Also read: Indian woman in Sweden busts ‘biggest myth’ about living in Europe: ‘Moving here doesn’t make you rich’)
HT.com has reached out to the user for her comments, and the copy will be updated once her 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.)
