‘Work shouldn’t consume every hour’: Indian tech professional on UK vs India office culture

An Indian professional working for a global technology firm in the United Kingdom has highlighted sharp differences between workplace cultures in India and Britain, saying her move overseas fundamentally reshaped how she views productivity, leadership and work-life balance in the IT services sector.

Modhura Roy, a consulting principal based in London, said her experience in the UK marked a clear break from the work culture she encountered during more than seven years in India. Speaking to Moneycontrol, Roy said Indian tech workplaces often normalise long working hours, constant availability and aggressive performance expectations, while British organisations set clearer boundaries around work and place greater emphasis on employee well-being.

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Roy said that in the UK, work is treated as one part of life rather than something that dominates it. She pointed to a stronger focus on health, fitness, family time and taking regular breaks, adding that these factors have helped her perform better both professionally and personally as the mother of an eight-year-old child.

She moved to London with her husband and daughter in March 2020 after working in cities including Kolkata and Pune. Roy currently works with European teams and brings close to two decades of consulting experience across India and overseas markets.

Describing differences in leadership styles, Roy said she found British and Australian managers more focused on quality of output, professional development and long-term value for clients. By contrast, she said Indian management structures often place greater emphasis on revenue targets and sales-led growth.

Reflecting on her time in India, Roy described working in presales roles supporting overseas clients, where extended workdays and late-night availability were common. She said there was often an unspoken expectation to remain accessible outside office hours, with employees juggling multiple responsibilities in understaffed teams.

Roy also recalled being asked to cancel a long-planned personal trip due to a last-minute business requirement, an experience she said reflected the lack of respect for personal boundaries in many Indian tech workplaces.

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Comparing the two environments more broadly, Roy said Indian organisations often prioritise maximum productivity at the cost of employee health and well-being. In contrast, she described UK workplaces as actively encouraging time off and respecting personal commitments, noting that she has not been asked to work weekends or justify leave since moving abroad.

She added that the pressures of unpredictable schedules became especially difficult after becoming a mother while working in Pune, prompting her to rethink what sustainable work should look like. While India offers greater access to domestic support, she said irregular hours tied to global delivery models often erode work-life balance. In the UK, higher childcare costs and the absence of extended family have reinforced the need for clear professional boundaries.

Roy’s account adds to a growing conversation within the global IT industry about how work cultures differ across regions and how organisations balance productivity with employee well-being.