Manuraaj Garg, an investment professional who was travelling in Vietnam with his wife, said an interaction with a retired Swiss corporate lawyer made him realise how differently people in some countries approach work and leisure. An Indian man’s conversation with a Swiss couple has prompted him to reflect on the stark differences in work-life balance between the two countries.
The Swiss man told him that he had worked as a corporate lawyer in Germany before retiring at 55. On some days, he even worked after 5 pm. (Also read: Indian woman stunned by Germany’s work culture: ‘No overtime, no quick call, everyone leaves at 5’ ) “Very hectic, most days. Some days, I was working even past 5 PM.
Garg said that nothing about the couple’s appearance belied their true age. Garg noted that he seemed “almost embarrassed” to have retired at 55 — he described it as “quite late”. He described his working years as “Very hectic, most days”, saying he worked seven to nine hours a day, and added that he barely found time to golf once a week and gym three times. Barely seven hours of sleep,” the man told Garg. This description struck Garg because what the Swiss man was describing as a “very hectic” work life was most Indians’ idea of work-life balance. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that in India, this hectic, exhausting life he was apologising for – we call it work-life balance,” the investment professional said. Garg said the Swiss man’s routine became even more relaxed after retirement. “Because four nights was the truth, and the truth was embarrassing – that I’d flown 3,000 km for a break shorter than his morning routine,” he wrote. Garg said he struggled to find a term for the difference he had observed between his own experience and that of the retired Swiss man. He eventually called it the “geographical dividend”.
“The tight skin, the bright smile, the firm handshake – nothing matched the number. They were Swiss, and this was their 15th or 16th trip to Asia,” he wrote. (Also read: ‘They are living life, we are surviving it’: Indian man voices frustration after visiting Paris, Zurich ) The conversation that followed made Garg realise the huge gap between European and Indian work culture. The European retiree then went on to talk about his busy life as a lawyer. Most days, he only slept seven hours. Seven to nine hours of work. I could only manage golf once a week. Gym three times. “I kept a straight face. “We put it on job posters. People switch companies hoping for it. He had doubled the amount of time he spent playing golf and going to the gym and was also sleeping more. “Economists should have a term for this. I call it the geographical dividend: the invisible income some countries pay their people – unhurried time, working systems, and evenings that actually end,” he wrote.
The retired lawyer also travelled for around four months a year, according to Garg. Garg, ashamed of his short break, he told him they would be there for three weeks, even though their actual trip lasted only four nights. (Also read: Norwegian boss scolds Indian employee for working on Saturday: ‘I broke in tears’ ) “‘Three weeks,’” I lied. The Swiss man responded that it was “a pretty short break” and told Garg to make the most of it. This was not necessarily about earning more money — in fact, the Swiss man was not richer than some millionaires he knew in Delhi and Mumbai, according to Garg.
The contrast became more apparent when the man asked Garg how long he and his wife were staying in Vietnam. In half shame. It was four nights. I had a job to get back to,” Garg wrote. The encounter stayed with Garg after he left Vietnam . During his flight home, he kept thinking about why he had felt embarrassed about admitting that his holiday had lasted only four nights. He argued that people in some countries are born with the advantage of better work policies and work-life balance. “You don’t earn it. You’re born into it, or you’re not,” he declared.
