Ask any tech graduate in India about their career goals, and chances are they’ll mention landing a job at Microsoft, Google, or a similar multinational company (MNC) – if not in the West, then at least in one of their Indian offices. This is because MNCs in India have built a reputation for offering better work environments, higher salaries, and more global exposure compared to their domestic counterparts.
Companies like Microsoft or Google are known to extend the same policies they have in the US to India. However, a closer look reveals significant differences in how employees in India are treated compared to their peers in Western offices.
Many express concerns about being ill-treated, facing longer hours, and being excluded from decision-making processes. One Reddit user shared that while their company claimed to follow global policies, the implementation in India felt “selective and unfair”.
What’s the Issue?
One of the primary draws of working for an MNC in India is the promise of higher compensation. Research indicates that US-based MNCs operating in India pay up to 70% more than Indian companies for equivalent roles.
However, Indian GCCs are often called the “cost centres” of the MNCs, as the focus is simply on maximising the ROI. While the salaries may seem high here, they remain relatively low compared to similar roles in Western countries.
While speaking with AIM, an employee of Microsoft India who wanted to maintain anonymity said that though they work on many global projects for the company, there is definitely a pay disparity compared to their US colleagues. The person says the company allows them to work remotely for several weeks if needed, while their Indian managers often frown upon this.
This was also reflected in a Reddit discussion where an MNC employee said that their bosses here are usually Indians, whose decisions are naturally tainted by the general work culture in the country. “It’s the same mindset we see in many Indian parents, too – that of micromanaging and having tight control over their juniors,” said the employee.
Microsoft India declined to comment on the matter when contacted by AIM.
Unlike countries that propose the “right to disconnect” to ensure employees can switch off after work, India lacks even basic discussions around such safeguards. The Microsoft India employee also said that though officially there are enough remote work opportunities in their job, unofficially, everything largely hinges on the manager’s permission.
“In Indian branches, even when remote work is permissible globally, employees are expected to report to the office, often without a justified reason,” said a user on Reddit. This was also confirmed by the MNC employee who spoke with AIM.
Another techie, who has worked for an MNC both in India and abroad, spoke about the stark differences in the work culture at both places. When he was in India, he was added to five different work groups. People who responded after work hours were applauded, and the managers questioned those who didn’t.
“The country head told everyone that our work doesn’t end at 5 pm or on weekends, and if need be, we must work through the weekend,” he added. On the other hand, he said that now that he works outside India for the same company, his colleagues do not even have his personal number—something that was unimaginable in India.
“My [current] manager pushes back on unrealistic timelines. Yes, there are expectations to deliver high-quality work, but doing some great work in a preplanned timeline with enough time for improvement is all that is expected,” he added.
Indian IT Affects the MNC Culture in India
Back here in Bengaluru, while everyone talks about the pleasant weather, the city’s corporate culture is somewhat affected by the work culture of the Indian IT industry, which often involves an expectation of long working hours.
Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys, who stirred public debate by suggesting that young Indians should embrace a 70-hour workweek to help drive the nation’s economic growth, stood his ground despite criticism.
The abysmal salaries at these companies are also a huge problem. Mohandas Pai, the former CFO of Infosys, recently pointed out that entry-level salaries for Indian IT have stagnated for the last decade and more. In 2011, a fresher’s salary was INR 3.25 lakh per annum, and it has only marginally increased to INR 3.75 lakh per annum on average.
“How is it justified?” Pai asked, calling it an exploitation of the workforce. While salaries for freshers might increase in 2025, the jump would be no more than 10%. This increase is also expected due to the increasing number of GCCs in India.
This fuels the perception that Indian companies fail to foster a positive work culture. The same sentiment extends to MNCs setting up bases in India. Sanjay Sreedhar, staff engineer at Lenovo, said on Quora that for many MNCs in India, a resource is just a number. “Indian MNCs don’t care about your career growth unless there is a pressing need for them to upskill their employees,” he said, adding that mid-level managers think that everyone just works for them.
Will Things Change?
In response to the tragic death of the 26-year-old audit executive at EY earlier this year, states like Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka are drafting new workplace rules and increasing inspections to ensure employee well-being.
The expectation among MNC employees in India contrasts sharply with norms in Western countries. Employees expect that their managers will treat them the same way as their colleagues in the West. However, several employees have repeatedly said that it all comes down to the manager in charge.
Now that most companies are planning to open new offices in Bengaluru, which is emerging as the country’s GCC hub, it becomes important for MNCs to focus on local issues. This includes several work culture issues that the city’s workforce has highlighted for several years.
While Murthy and Pai’s remarks sparked conversations about productivity and competitiveness, they also reignited concerns about work-life balance in India’s demanding professional environment.
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