VOI World/ Lavanya Kukreja
On 28th June 2025, Akhilesh, an Indian engineer working in Paris posted on X (formerly Twitter), raising his doubts about how lenient the European work culture is and how long the system could last in the modern-day economy. As per the details shared in the post, if a person sends a work-related email to a colleague after 6 pm, he or she can be fined. Further, a minimum of one hour lunch breaks are the norm and any less amount of time is frowned upon by the society. In the month of August, the European continent rightfully takes time off. The CEOs of different companies just go to the gym, drink wine, go on vacation to relax and just keep repeating the process. According to Akhilesh, unlike most of the rest of the world, the kids in Europe see their parents calm and relaxed rather than hustling and stressed.
The post sparked different reactions from people online. While some defended the model saying that “They earn less than Americans but live more fully. Maybe the question isn’t about sustaining the model, maybe we’re just used to calling burnout ambition”, “I work for a European firm and couldn’t be happier. They care about results, not clocking time”.
Other X users either countered the claims made in the original post with their own experience or supported them. Some people simply reflected on how mentally healthy the work culture in Paris is as it allowed parents to spend time with their children and the employees to live more contended lives.
The varying opinions still conclude that Europe’s work culture might not be a perfect fit for everybody, but it is probably something the rest of the world should think about.
