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‘3 am calls, 60+ hour work weeks’: Ex-Amazon exec flags ’crazy-debatable’ work culture in India
A former Amazon executive said his colleagues in India would “be online when I’d log in (7 am). They’d join for weekly Staff meetings (10 am). They’d often call into afternoon VP-level reviews (4 pm).”
Adam Broda, a former Amazon executive, took to LinkedIn to highlight the intense work culture among Indian employees. He also flagged the "crazy/debatable thing" about it and shared data on "Countries with the longest work week." The data showed that the average number of hours worked per employee in India was the “highest” at 56 hours.
In a long post on Instagram, Broda wrote, “At Amazon I worked hard; some weeks I’d work 60+ hrs - but never as many as our team members in India. Much of our organisation’s developer team was based out of Bangalore.”
He said his colleagues in India would "be online when I’d log in (7 am). They’d join for weekly Staff meetings (10 am). They’d often call into afternoon VP-level reviews (4 pm)."
"And, here’s the crazy/debatable thing, most of them were happy to do it," Broda said, adding, “As if 60+ hours was normal and the opportunity worth taking.”
Broda went on to say, "In my 5 years there, I witnessed multiple leaders asking why they were on calls at 3 am Bangalore time. The explanation would [almost] always be the same, ‘We want to be here.’"
"This response begs two questions: Was that true and if so, why? At what point, did their desire to work cross a line? Interesting questions perhaps best for another time," Broda's post read.
Adam Broda claimed that company culture is more important than strategy. "It's a good reminder that “culture” will always “eat strategy for breakfast," he said.
He added that employees who are motivated, enthusiastic and given the right tools will usually perform better than those who are just going through the motions.
Broda also suggested that managers should "Check in on your international employees", ask about their working hours and find ways to support them across time zones. "Even if they want to work more hours, that doesn’t always mean they should," he said.
Social media reactions
Many comments on Broda's post criticised such work culture. One such comment read, "It's not a good culture. Many need the job so they'll bend over backwards. It's sad actually. What happened to work life balance or it does not exist in India."
Another said, "I can imagine the burnout rates in India are very high, Adam." Another post said, "This is a great reminder to always check in with your international employees. Also a reminder that 60+ hours isn’t sustainable. Even if your team members are willing to do it."
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Business NewsNewsTrends‘3 am calls, 60+ hour work weeks’: Ex-Amazon exec flags ’crazy-debatable’ work culture in India
First Published:24 Dec 2024, 07:41 AM IST
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