To understand the Indian perception of the calendar, let’s go back in time a bit. Academic writings point out that the Indians have a polychronic conception of time. They perceive it not in a linear way, like Westerners, but as a cycle. Therefore, Indians live in the moment because time has no beginning or end, it repeats itself forever. A notion that is also found in the Hindi word kal, which means both “yesterday” and “tomorrow”.
To this philosophical and linguistic dimension should be added a layer of history. British colonization, which lasted almost two centuries, also influenced the Indians’ perception of time. Not to mention the economy: India has been involved in world trade since the 1990s, and the country has adapted to international business codes, with its calendars, retroplannings, and other scheduled meetings. So, in practice, what does Indian time management look like in the workplace?
Adapt to extended hours
I remember this anecdote, which dates from the first confinement. My spouse (Indian) was in an online meeting…at 10:30 p.m. when the airline he works for was literally at a standstill. My eyes widened – but why don’t you move your appointment to tomorrow morning, knowing that there is no urgency?
The Indian response was quick: with everyone available and at home, what would postponing the meeting do? I answered : “Maybe some of your colleagues would like to spend time with their family, watch a movie, read a novel, what do I know? Nope ?” Uh… Apparently not. And I don’t think anyone was bothered.
Because it is understood by all that working hours are extendable. Often, in big cities, people arrive late at the office: starting at 11 am is nothing uncommon in Bombay, Delhi or Bangalore. It must be said that some city dwellers have to spend two hours in transport, stuck in traffic jams.
In return, employers expect employees to be available until late in the evening. And this is obviously all the more true in the case of Indian companies offering services to European or American customers, with whom there are significant time differences.
Handle punctuality with flexibility
Are the Indians on time? I would say it depends on the context. In their social or personal activities (a dinner, a party, a leisure activity…) they can indulge in significant delays without any qualms – a bit like the trains of the subcontinent, which have become legendary for their timetables are purely indicative.
On the other hand, in professional life, since it is our subject of the day, this cliché seems to me to be largely erroneous. Personally, I tend to deal with punctual people, to the quarter of an hour. And when they can’t be, they let me know. However, I would like to point out that I live in Bombay, a city where time is considered precious, and that I work in a field, higher education, which is quite international. I know punctuality is more hit or miss in other states (Goa and West Bengal, don’t blame me).
In sectors related to administration or manual work, schedules may be more fluctuating. Thus our electrician always assures us: “I’m coming in an hour”, which, in reality, may mean that it will pass the next day. Note that these deadlines are still shorter than those practiced by craftsmen in France.
work on saturday
In my previous job, my phone numbers were accessible on the Internet. Believe me, the Indians used it extensively, including on weekends (and late at night, as explained above), assuming I worked seven days a week. I’ve since got into the habit of not picking up when I receive a call from a number that is not saved in my phone.
The fact is that in many Indian companies, Saturday is not a day off. In addition, employees must remain reachable on Sundays – no need to specify this, it is implicit. Work-life balance, the famous work-life balance, here belongs only to theory.
Do not rush… Then spend the night in the office before a deadline
In a culture where only the present moment counts, a deadline from which we are separated by a few days is almost non-existent. Therefore, Indians often take their time working on a project, until the deadline is imminent.
“I have often experienced this, tells me a French friend who worked in an Indian automotive group. My colleagues would spend the entire night in the office preparing for a meeting with management that was to take place the next day, when it had been planned for several days or even weeks.” Yes, the Indians never work as well as in a hurry. And the results are there.
Make appointments at the last minute
In India, it is better not to schedule meetings or events too far in advance, as I explained to you in a previous post on “the Indian art of doing everything at the last minute”. As the context can change rapidly, “planning” often rhymes with “risk of cancellation”.
So we grab our phone the day before for the next day – come on, a week in advance maximum, to have visibility – in order to confirm an appointment. And even after years in India, I remain fascinated by the fact that a day of meetings can be organized the day before for the next day, even with people in high places. Roll them r and repeat after me: “Yes, of course, we can meet tomorrow” (“Yes, of course, we can see each other tomorrow”).
Going on leave for a whole month for a wedding
“I’m taking a month off for my sister’s wedding.” Weird ? Not in India. Not only the future spouses, but all the members of the family must get involved in the organization of this rite which represents a key moment in social life.
And employers know that to retain their employees they must deal with this reality. Moreover, in a country where cohabitation remains rare, marriage coincides with the start of life together for the newlyweds. It therefore sometimes involves geographical mobility, especially in the context of joint familieswhere the wife settles in the family of her husband.
In reality, marriages are only the tip of the iceberg. In India, family obligations take precedence over professional life, even when one occupies positions of responsibility. Indian men and women are easily absent or resign for various family reasons: planning a wedding, helping an elderly parent, etc.
Do not stay long in the same position
Finally, retaining employees is a headache for Indian HRDs. Around me, people don’t stay in a job for long – unless, of course, they work in a family business. They like to change employers regularly, in order to quickly change their salary and their responsibilities. In India, for many companies, this turnover is a major concern, particularly in dynamic sectors.
In the field of technologies, the attrition rate (the proportion of departures compared to the total number of employees over a year) thus exceeds 25% in India. While a rate considered normal is closer to 10%. Some departing employees may return later to the employer they are about to leave – this new trend of “boomerang employees”, whose emergence I read here, would find its place in the Indian polychronic vision. . Even at work, life is an eternal restart.