Don't miss India's 'cut-throat' work culture: Consultant moves to UK, praises work-life balance

Modhura Roy said that while working in Pune, the long hours and unpredictable schedules began to affect her seriously after her daughter’s birth. 'The unpredictable schedule took a toll on my mental and physical health,' she said. (Right) Roy with her husband and daughter in London. (Image credit: Moneycontrol)

An Indian employee working for a tech giant in the UK has drawn sharp contrasts between workplace cultures in India and Britain, saying her experience abroad has fundamentally altered how she views productivity, leadership, and work-life balance in the global IT services industry.

Calling it a "sea change" from the work culture in India, Modhura Roy, a consulting principal with the tech giant in London, said that while Indian tech firms often celebrate hustle and constant availability, UK workplaces place clearer boundaries around work with a stronger emphasis on health and work-life balance.

"In the UK, work is considered as part of one’s life, not to consume every waking hour. There is a much bigger focus on health, fitness, taking vacations and family time," the 38-year-old told Moneycontrol. She added that these aspects help her thrive both at the workplace and at home, as the mother of an eight-year-old girl.

Roy moved to London with her husband and daughter in March 2020 after spending 7.5 years working in Kolkata and Pune. She currently works with European teams and brings nearly two decades of consulting experience across India and the UK.

‘With British seniors, the focus is on quality’

Speaking about her experience working with different leadership styles, Roy said she found managers in UK more invested in quality of output, professional development, and long-term value creation for clients.

“With seniors in London, the focus was more on the quality of work, my personal upskilling journey, and the value being brought to the client,” she said. “With managers in India, the focus has more often been on revenue generation and an aggressive sales-driven culture.”

'I was once asked to cancel my leave for my trip to Kolkata, which I had planned months in advance,' Modhura Roy said. (Image credit: Moneycontrol)

Presales pressure and ‘unsaid compliance’ in Indian workplaces

Recalling her time in India, Roy described working in a presales team that supported UK- and US-based clients — a role that demanded extended workdays and weekend availability.

She said it was routine to log back in from home late at night after office hours, with an “unwritten expectation” of being available whenever overseas teams required support. There was an expectation of stretching beyond work hours, juggling multiple priorities, multitasking to a point where there could be delivery risks, she said, adding that projects are often understaffed, with individuals carrying the workload originally planned for multiple resources.

"I was once asked to cancel my leave for my trip to Kolkata, which I had planned months in advance," Roy told Moneycontrol. This was because there was a new deal coming in, and the US-based manager who allocated resources was inconsiderate of personal leave plans. I had to escalate and raise it with multiple people to keep my leave plans on."

India vs UK: Productivity versus balance

Drawing a broader comparison between professional cultures in India and the UK, Roy said Indian workplaces are often built around “hyper productivity”.

“India is focused on squeezing the maximum out of every employee, not really bothering about mental well-being and health,” she said.

In contrast, she described the UK work culture as more integrated into life rather than dominating it. “Work is considered part of life, not something that consumes every waking hour,” she said. “In the UK, over the last five years, I’ve never been asked to work weekends or justify leave. In fact, time off is actively encouraged. It’s a sea change compared to what I experienced in India.”

Motherhood, timing, and boundaries

Roy said that while working in Pune, the strain became most visible after her daughter’s birth. “The unpredictable schedule took a toll on my mental and physical health,” she told Moneycontrol. That prompted a team change and a larger rethink of what sustainable work should look like.

“In India, there are lots of help available, but no work-life balance, as one has to work in UK - US shifts in tech services companies, and in general, there is a tendency for work to start later and finish late," she said. "In London, there’s no extra help, no extended family, and childcare costs are high. That forces healthy boundaries."