‘Moved back to India for work, now I’m regretting it’: NRI shares struggles with toxic workplace culture

A young finance professional has opened up about her decision to return to India for work — and how the reality of corporate life here has left her questioning the move. In a candid Reddit post titled ‘Moved Back to India for Work, Now I’m Seriously Regretting It’, the 26-year-old shared the challenges she has faced since relocating.

The user, who completed most of her schooling in Singapore, wrote that India had always felt like home while growing up. She even chose to pursue her undergraduate degree here before moving to London for a master’s programme. London, she said, had been her “childhood dream” — and working there only strengthened her love for the city.

However, due to personal reasons, she left her job in the UK and returned to Singapore, where she joined an investment bank. When the company restructured and outsourced her department’s operations to India, she accepted a lower-paying role in the country — hoping it would bring her closer to her roots.

But just three months in, she says the experience has been far from what she expected.

Calling out what she describes as “boss culture,” office politics and a “lack of boundaries,” the young professional wrote that the transition has been mentally exhausting. “I miss the openness, the structure, and the respect for boundaries,” she said, adding that she now has to “justify taking a day off,” something she never faced abroad.

The post has sparked conversation among professionals who have returned after working overseas — many echoing similar concerns about long working hours, micromanagement and skewed work-life balance in Indian corporate culture.

The Redditor admits she can’t stop questioning her choice: “Should I have never left London? Or even Singapore?” She ended her message by seeking advice from others on whether she should apply again for jobs in the UK and Europe.

Internet reacts

“That's why whenever there's a thing between emotions vs brain you should always choose. If you don't have any aged parents better to leave,” a user wrote.

“If you’re stuck in India for the time being, make sure you do not work for an Indian company or an Indian manager in a company with high concentration of Indians across the globe,” another user wrote.

“Go back if you can. For people like us, who’ve been fighting this culture since the first day of our work lives, it’s honestly exhausting,” the third user wrote.