Questioning WLB

WLB depends on where you work. In india, expecting WLB will be seen like a crime. You cannot play fairly here. Most companies demand you stay late. They dont care if you work or not, they expect you to stay late. These are the reasonable ones. So if you have any hobbies, keep them to the mornings. Study upskill in the office, stay late there. Never let you coworkers know about your personal life.

Companies , like start ups that dump work , make single person do three people job, unrealistic timeliness, they are good for nothing places. Only reason to work there is the alternative is unemployment.

The opinion that WLB and hustle is in our hands is an illusion. It all depends on what others around you are doing. Think of it in this way - if an organisation can get 14 hours of works from everyone around you, why will they hire you? If everyone around you will work in 1 lakh per month, why will they pay you 1.5 lakh per month?

So it’s an illusion to think you have an option to dictate….up until you have something to offer that others can’t. Be an expert in niche that a company needs and see how they adjust to your needs, be experienced in skills that are in demand and you will be able to come out of the race. You will have some control over things.

You should do you as long as you are competent enough. If you do feel you are lagging in things that may affect your career forward then don’t focus around WLB especially in early career. If everyone can prioritise wlb then it’ll be best team or company to work in but this is driven from top. So until you’re not in position of power, do what’s best for yourself and your career forward

It varies a lot by team and company. Being in India and switching between companies or teams every few years, the mindset is not good for the long term even when ethical and justified.

Regarding velocity, would the velocity of the other team members be higher if they worked the same hours as you?
If yes, then you can upskill to match them.
If no and the velocity would be the same with the same hours, then it's a toxic work culture issue in the org. Suggest to try moving elsewhere.

Work fast , reveal it slowly.

Did you retrospect why your velocity is behind your team?

It's best to find a job that's not as taxing as your current one. India or not, you will always be fighting a battle you cannot win if you are in the wrong place.

See the thing is you are talking about two different things

1. Velocity
2. Total time spent at work

These are two different things. Ideally you need to be quick at work so you can finish your deliverables on time and leave work soon.

First upskill in what you do currently so the same task that you used to do 1 hour is now just 15 mins or less.

Ideally you should be hustling in your first few years and take a back seat when you start a family

Unskilled and shallow leadership cause these wlb issues, on such team is mine, bunch of incompetent folks taking hours to do a simple task and then expected people to put in the same hours.

@UsedTear27 It is not right to commit your entire time to the job. Just give your 7:30 hrs completely to work. If you had delivered your tasks in a timely manner, you could have ignored what everyone is saying. However, since some deadlines were missed, try and understand what went wrong and how you can consistently deliver quality work in a timely manner. Furthermore, regarding your second question if someone is putting all his time on work is it right or not for the long term. It depends on individuals, someone may not have any other option or alternative to win the race. It depends from person to person on their priorities and it changes for some and some have it constant.