Indian Work Culture: How Is It Different from the US?

For US based leaders working with remote experts in India, it is becoming more and more relevant to grow an even wider and deeper understanding of the differences between the US and Indian work culture.

The US and India are such vast countries that drawing such comparisons can lead to sweeping generalisations. But there are adequate deep-seated characteristics in each culture that makes this comparison helpful for business leaders like you.

With this knowledge, you can create a more productive environment with more nuanced management considering the unique strengths and weaknesses of a culturally diverse workforce.

Indian work culture reflects a unique mixture of values, traditions, and contemporary influences. Businesses that work with Indian talent (remote or not) understanding the work culture is essential. Let’s take a look at the key aspects of Indian work culture that can offer insights on how to navigate this evolving landscape:

Although the emergence of multinational companies and the rising tech sector have inspired a shift towards a more shared and collaborative mindset, there are still businesses where seniority and authority holds all the decision-making power.

Due to this hierarchy and formal nature of relationships, when a junior Indian employee has a groundbreaking idea, the first reaction would be presenting it through formal channels and waiting for feedback rather than communicating with the higher-up directly.

A sense of community is more important for many Indian workers than other work related goals. They would prefer to build personal connections and maintain these relationships harmoniously over anything that benefits the individual and his/her work.

It may look counterintuitive at first, but it helps them create high value relationships and work as a closely knit unit that works for a shared goal. Due to this team spirit, in India, it is not unheard off that colleagues have extended their interactions beyond several job moves.

According to the International Labour Organisation, India is ranked 2nd among countries with the highest rates of prolonged working hours. According to this estimate, an average Indian worker clocks around 46.7 hours per week and more than half of the entire Indian workforce clocks more than 49 hours.

This trend evidently caused poor work-life balance and elevated work related stress across the board and resulted in 62% of Indian employees suffering from burnout. The rate is significantly higher than the worldwide average of 20%. However, with growing awareness and focus on employee well-being the trend is solely evolving.

For businesses working remotely with Indian workers, taking a look at how the work culture in the US differs from the Indian work culture, can help manage remote teams or individuals better.

The US work culture values meritocracy deeply. Based on an individual’s dedication, hard work, and achievements they get recognition and rewards. Often, based on these individual achievements and contributions career advancement or promotions are offered.

The emphasis on meritocracy is also due to the fact that innovation is the driving force at many US companies. They want their employees to think creatively and take calculated risks.

Therefore, if you are getting disappointing results from your Indian virtual assistant, try communicating your expectations and their autonomy more effectively.

US work culture is very goal oriented and result driven. Achieving measurable outcomes, delivering high-quality work, and meeting targets are basic expectations. The emphasis is on tangible results and productivity, which encourages employees to aim at ambitious targets and work hard towards it.

Along with that, comes the focus on constant learning and professional development. To facilitate employee growth and career development companies in the US invest in skill-building initiatives, mentorship opportunities, and training programs. Employees are encouraged to improve their knowledge and skills, stay updated with industry trends, and find new opportunities to learn.

Work-life-balance is a fundamental element in the US work culture. They believe that to increase productivity employees have to have good mental health and a positive work environment. Many companies ensure these by helping their employees have a healthy private life with compressing working hours, telecommuting, large vacations and so on.

Tech giants like Microsoft and Google are well-known for their employee centric approach to schedules that allow workers to have the right balance of professional and personal responsibilities. Like them, manu US companies also encourage their employees to take time off for vacations, family events, and mental health days to ensure personal well-being.

If you are working with an individual or a team from India, you (and your in-house team) are inevitably going to face challenges. However, with a better understanding of the cultural difference between Indian and the US workspace you can address these challenges and open new opportunities for learning and growth.

Let’s take a look at the challenges you may face:

Egalitarian approach of American teams may clash with hierarchical expectations from Indian workers.

Although they have proficiency in English, the language difference can lead to potential miscommunications.

Having previous experiences with Indian employers, your virtual assistants may expect better (or at least the same) work-culture.

To collaborate with Indian experts working remotely you can take the following measures:

Employers have to let the remote expert feel that the company has trust in his/her qualities and that they respect each other’s opinions.

To avoid misunderstandings you should set your expectations right from the first stages. Clear goals and boundaries will help profoundly.

Whether it is ‘indirect/formal communication’, ‘habit of working long hours’, or anything else, you can leverage these to give a positive work experience and increase productivity.

When working with Indian remote employees you have to remember the difference between US and Indian work culture as it will help maintain a meaningful and productive relationship which is one of the keys to long-term collaboration and success.

Therefore, get yourself in the shoes of your next remote hire and communicate clearly about both of your style of work and expectations. This will help you make strategies that cater to the unique cultural nuances of Indian workers and optimize their performance.