Tea, Long Hours And No ‘No’: Russian Woman's Viral Take On 'Unusual' Indian Work Culture

A Russian woman living in India has gone viral on social media after posting her observations on the stark contrasts between Indian and foreign office culture. Content creator Yulia, who has been based in India for the past 12 years, shared her experiences on Instagram in a post titled “Things considered normal in Indian offices but not normal abroad.”

The post has since gained wide traction, sparking a debate on workplace culture in India.

Reflecting on her early days in the country, Yulia said she was struck by how warm and caring her Indian colleagues were.

“When I started my career in India 12 years ago, I was amazed when my colleagues used to care and ask me if I had my breakfast, tea/coffee, and lunch. It was a super sweet and welcoming restart

to my professional journey,” she wrote.

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A post shared by Iuliia Aslamova (@yulia_bangalore)

She also noted certain structural and behavioural differences. According to her, employees typically did not leave the office until senior management had departed, while taking late-night work calls was treated as normal.

While praising Indians as hardworking, Yulia described the environment as “highly competitive and pressured,” often pitting colleagues from different departments against each other. She added that long commutes- sometimes more than two hours- and an indirect communication style, such as avoiding direct refusals, shaped much of workplace behaviour.

“Living for work, versus working for a good life,” she remarked, pointing out that many young professionals carried the weight of supporting entire families, not just their parents.

Yulia’s post triggered a wave of responses online, with many Indian users agreeing with her assessment. One user wrote, “Mostly correct observations,” while another added, “As an Indian, I don’t like the work culture. Managers are too involved in personal matters. No privacy. Even the entitled holidays cannot be used.”