How is the work life in India and Singapore? There are many Indians working in Singapore. It seems they are very happy. While an employee generally puts in more work hours in India, an employee works in Singapore without any pressure. An Instagram post reflecting workplace culture differences in India and Singapore has gone viral on Instagram, with online reactions pouring in.
An Indian employee in Singapore, called Aman, says on Instagram that working in Singapore has totally changed his attitude towards work. For example, he says that for an extra day of leave, one employee in India has to “beg,” inventing reasons like illness or family emergencies. Staying late in the office is mostly unconsidered. It is seen as necessary to complete the work; however, it is actually a form of exploitation.
He compared his experience in India and in Singapore, where he has always been treated with respect. In India any appreciation comes very rarely, as the employers always wanted their work done irrespective of the work pressure on their employees.
“Here in Singapore I do not ask; I just inform. After 6 p.m., my phone is mine, not my boss’s. No calls, no guilt, just life,” he said. Aman criticised the notion that staying late automatically signals dedication, calling it exploitation instead.
Aman is criticising the idea that working late automatically means you’re working hard. Instead, it means you are being exploited. His point is about valuing work-life balance and recognising that productivity doesn’t mean endless hours.
Mindset Shift
Aman said that moving to Singapore changed how he thinks about work and personal time. He calls it his “biggest mindset shift. In the caption of his clip, he wrote, “The biggest mindset shift I had moving to Singapore. Stop justifying your time off. In toxic cultures, you feel the need to explain why you aren’t working. You overshare details hoping for sympathy or approval.”
His reflections resonated strongly with the audience as well. One user expressed optimism that Gen Z might help change these norms in India, while several others said they wanted similar work environments, saying, “I completely relate with Indian toxic work culture.”
An employee in India commented on Aman’s post, saying, “You are doing your dream job,” and admitted his envy, “I am jealous of you, bro.” The post has come amid the work-life balance becoming a core discussion topic in the country, as the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, was introduced by MP Supriya Sule in Loksabha. It seeks to give employees the legal right to ignore work-related calls and emails outside office hours, aiming to reduce burnout and promote healthier boundaries.
Indian IT giant N. Narayana Murthy’s demand for the introduction of 70 hours of work in a week has attracted a lot of protests from Indian employees who are putting in more hours than the stipulated work hours.
