Long working hours, late night calls and answering messages outside office hours are realities many Indian professionals know well. A recent LinkedIn post comparing India's work culture with Norway's has prompted a wider conversation on work life balance, burnout and whether productivity should always come at the cost of personal time.A LinkedIn post reignited the conversation around work-life balance. (Representative Image)The post was shared by Dr Ritesh Malik, who recounted the experience of an Indian employee who moved to Norway for work.'We forgot to teach them how to live'Sharing the story, Dr Malik wrote, "An Indian employee went to Norway for work. They gave him a 7.5 hour workday. He didn't know what to do with the rest of his time. He went viral for saying, 'They are living life. We are just living.'"He went on to describe a workplace where there was "no 'Sir' culture, no 10 pm Slack messages, managers who don't confuse availability with dedication, and weekends that exist for real."(Also Read: Earned ₹1,500/day as Zomato rider, wanted to be a doctor, now he runs an AI startup in Bengaluru)Reflecting on India's work culture, he wrote, "We didn't accidentally build a burnout culture. It was the logical output of a system with too many people chasing too few opportunities. Working harder than the next person was the only real differentiator. Exhaustion became a competitive strategy, and now we call it passion."He also argued that Norway's productivity is not linked to longer working hours. "Norway isn't more productive because its people work less. It's more productive because its people are present when they do. The most dangerous thing about normalising exhaustion is that you stop being able to tell the difference between drive and damage. In India, there is a whole generation that knows how to work. But we forgot to teach them how to live."Take a look:Internet weighs inThe post received mixed reactions. One user, who had relocated to Australia, wrote, "I agree with this. When I relocated to Melbourne, my efficiency was too high and I was overworking. In fact, the first feedback I got from my leadership was to slow down and not be too efficient. They said things don't work here the way they do in many Asian countries."Another user disagreed with the comparison, commenting, "Do you really believe these comparisons make sense? Norway today can afford many things. First, get there."A third person blamed employers for encouraging excessive working hours. "India can never improve until the government punishes companies that make employees overwork. One transporter in Delhi asked his bus driver to work continuously for 18 hours, which led to a road accident."(Also Read: 'Felt really bad for him': Mumbai founder recounts e-rickshaw driver's ordeal after viral prank)Another comment read, "A few founders were demanding the right to work 70 hours a week, while some CEOs were asking why employees needed to spend their Sunday with their wife. The change has to come from the top."Others pointed to workplace culture itself. "One aspect is the expectation from founders and managers around face time. 'Stay until your boss leaves' is often an unwritten rule. There's also an inherent hesitation to question authority, which reinforces this culture."