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A Bengaluru engineer’s tour of Microsoft’s Paris office showed empty desks by 4:30 pm, sparking debate online about Europe’s work-life balance culture.
News18
A software engineer from Bengaluru has shared a light-hearted tour of Microsoft’s Paris office, giving people a glimpse into the work culture there. The video, posted by Rahul Kaushik on Instagram, quickly led to discussions online about work-life balance in Europe and how different it feels from the routine many Indian professionals are used to.
Rahul, who has been working at Microsoft since July 2024, mixed humour with his office tour as he spoke about daily life in Paris, language struggles, food choices and office timings. Many viewers found his observations relatable, especially his comments about employees leaving work early and not staying connected after office hours.
Rahul Jokes About Life In Paris
At the start of the video, Rahul spoke about exploring Paris and shared a funny thought about not being able to survive there because he does not know French. He joked that the language barrier would have made life difficult for him.
Still, he admitted that the beauty of the city briefly made him think about getting transferred there permanently. But his excitement reportedly dropped a little once he visited the office cafeteria.
Rahul said the food options for vegetarians were limited and joked that the menu mostly had croissants and biscuits. Many Indian users in the comments section related to his struggle to find proper vegetarian meals abroad.
Office View Surprises Viewers
During the office tour, Rahul also showed his workstation and pointed out a large electricity pole standing right in front of his desk. Moments later, he revealed the Eiffel Tower view visible from the office, which impressed many viewers online.
The video was shared with the caption, “A day in a life of software Engineer at Microsoft Paris.”
However, the biggest talking point from the clip was not the office view but the work culture Rahul noticed inside the building.
Rahul showed that by around 4:30 pm, most desks in the office were already empty because employees had finished work and gone home. He sounded surprised at how naturally people shut down their laptops and left once office hours ended.
He also mentioned that under European work culture, employees are usually not expected to answer calls or reply to office messages after working hours.
Many viewers compared this with the work pressure and long hours often seen in the Indian corporate sector.
The video led to several reactions online, with users sharing both jokes and opinions about the lifestyle difference. “If I capture such view from India office it will increase our stress level due to congestion on road,” a user wrote.
Another commented, “I also want to leave my laptop at office :,) also why is Microsoft using Apple.”
“European people must have done very good things in there past life so they are living in European Countries,” another person joked.
“Showed reality of “emerging India” and the delusions of many Indians,” read another comment. A user also wrote, “Suffering from success.”
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