Difference in Working Styles Between India, US and Europe

The working styles between India, US and Europe differ widely. Many Indian corporates and multinational companies are wooing Indians settled abroad in the US and Europe to return to India and work for them. With a multitude of highly paid jobs up for grabs for the experienced professionals, many Indian expatriates are thinking of returning home to take up these jobs.

These Indians in USA and Europe would be exposed to the American and European style of work culture, which is very different from the working style in India. With many multinationals setting up branches in India, they are trying their best to incorporate the western working style in their Indian offices too. Earlier in Indian companies and corporate set ups, constructive criticism, training programs for employees, motivational meetings, teleconferences; employee bonding etc were unheard of and were considered alien and set aside for the American working style.

With the advent of multinationals, the tremendous growth of the IT sector and its allied BPO and Outsourcing services sectors, the American working style is fast being implemented in many of the offices here. But alas these are confined only to the large corporates and multinationals. Smaller and mediocre firms are still following the Indian working style.

Time management does not rank high on the priority list of Indian working styles unlike their American and European counterparts who are sticklers for punctuality and time management. Americans value their time and are keen that the employees are punctual at work and this permeates into their working environment too. In India, if an employee is late he or she always has a good convincing reason. It is common place event to find business meeting rescheduled or rather delayed by an hour or two in Indian companies.

The working style in India requires employees to be dressed in semi formals unlike their western counterparts who are all dressed in formals like blazers and suits. Here the weather does not permit such dressing. In the Indian work environment, everyone addresses each other as Sir or Madam, but addressing bosses by their first name is fast catching up in India, which is so commonly found in USA and Europe where everyone addresses one another by their first names. Indians are inquisitive about others and so take a lot of interest in gossiping about others, some will even try to pry into others lives and offer unsolicited advice. Certainly, this is not found in the American work environment where everyone at the office will keep to their selves and do the work they are allotted diligently.

Those who have worked in companies and firms in the US and Europe will find coming back to work in Indian companies and Indian working conditions really different from what they were previously used to. It will present a challenging task to those Indians in USA [http://www.imrti.com/] who are seeking job opportunities in Indian companies whether they are corporate business houses or multinationals.

Source by Harpreet H Singh