Indian woman stunned by Germany’s work culture: ‘No overtime, no quick call, everyone leaves at 5’

An Indian woman was surprised to find her Germany office empty at 5:30 pm, saying everyone had left by 5.

An Indian woman working in Germany has shared what surprised her the most about her first corporate job in the country: employees leaving the office on time. In a video shared on Instagram, she showed her nearly empty workplace at 5:30 pm and explained that most of her colleagues had already left for the day.

An Indian woman said she was surprised by Germany’s office culture, where employees had left work by 5 pm. (Instagram/bhagyashreeeee)

Bhagyashree, who shared the video, said employees at her workplace generally arrive early in the morning and wrap up their work by around 5 pm.

“It's 5:30 pm in my office right now, and this is how it looks like. Everyone leaves at 5:00 pm. Of course, they come early around at 8:00, but everyone leaves at around 5:00 pm because they have a life to live outside of work, and they're not only working, they're also living. So I think that's a surprise shock that I had when I started working here in Germany. Just thought of sharing,” she said.

‘No overtime. No quick call’

“This is my office at 5pm!! Is it the same for you too?? No overtime. No ‘quick call’. Everyone left at 5 pm sharp. Because they actually have a life after work. The culture shock I didn’t expect from my first corporate job,” she wrote in the caption.

The clip shows an almost deserted office, with empty desks and chairs visible around her. According to Bhagyashree, while employees begin their day at around 8 am, they do not routinely stay back after their working hours.

Her observation drew attention to the difference in how working hours are approached across workplaces, particularly when it comes to staying late at the office or attending calls after the workday has ended.

Watch the clip here:

Internet reacts

The video prompted several reactions, with users appreciating the workplace culture Bhagyashree described.

“This is what work-life balance looks like,” one user wrote. “This honestly feels so refreshing,” said another. A third commented, “Leaving on time should be normal everywhere,” while a fourth added, “This office culture looks so healthy.”

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.)