While long working hours are often seen as a sign of dedication in India, an Indian professional based in Germany says shorter work weeks can actually lead to better productivity. Taking to LinkedIn, Sahil Choudhary compared work culture in India and Germany, saying he now gets more work done in 40 hours in Germany than he did in 70 hours in India.
In his post, Choudhary said Germany’s strict 40-hour work week forced him to change the way he worked and helped him become more focused and organised. He explained that in India, discussions were often spread across the day through constant follow-ups, calls and repeated meetings. In Germany, however, meetings are usually planned with clear agendas and decisions are made in a single discussion.
Choudhary also spoke about workplace distractions in India, mentioning random calls, gossip, reels and chai breaks. In contrast, he said people in Germany block “focus time, DND” on their calendars and colleagues respect those boundaries.
He further pointed out that in many Indian workplaces, work often extends late into the night because someone is always available. In Germany, he said employees are generally not expected to work beyond office hours, forcing teams to prioritise tasks better.
“I realised that I wasn’t working more in India, I was just working in chaos,” he wrote, adding that the 40-hour limit in Germany left “no room” for such work habits.
(Also Read: Gurgaon founder calls out India’s long-hours work culture, says ‘Being available 24/7 doesn’t make you valuable’)
Social media reactions
The post quickly gained traction online, with many users agreeing that long working hours do not always lead to better productivity.
One user wrote, “A lot of people wear long working hours like a badge of honour, when in reality it’s often just a sign of broken systems, constant interruptions and poor boundaries.”
“The biggest difference is often not the number of hours, it is how protected those hours are. Clear boundaries, focused discussions, and uninterrupted work blocks change how much can actually get done during the day,” commented another.
“Powerful insight !!! Productivity is rarely about longer hours; it’s about clarity, focus, and respecting boundaries. Structured workflows and outcome-driven culture can often achieve more than endless availability ever will. A valuable reminder for teams everywhere,” wrote a third user.
“Exactly. We waste a lot of time meandering to the point where I am seeing people regularly working till 11 or 12 in the night. This is crazy. But somehow we have made it normal. People and offices in every country other than us get by with 9 hours. Why do we need more? This extra hours is not matched by output,” said another.
