Work-life balance has become one of the biggest concerns for employees today. But when a job starts taking away the time meant for rest, family and personal life, how much is too much?
For one Hyderabad engineer, the answer came after years of following a six-day work routine. She said her work schedule has left her mentally exhausted, and she is now willing to accept a lower salary if it means finding a job with more personal time.
The 25-year-old civil engineer shared her experience on Reddit’s r/IndiaCareers community, where she explained how her current job at a large construction company in Hyderabad has affected her daily life.
The engineer, who graduated in 2023, said she is grateful to have a job but feels drained by the long working week. She explained that after returning home, she often does not have enough energy left for basic chores, spending time with family or enjoying her evenings.
She wrote, “I’m a civil engineer with 3 years of experience, and honestly, I’m exhausted. For the past 3 years, I’ve been working a 6-day work week. By the time I get home, I barely have the energy to do basic household chores, spend time with my family, or even enjoy my evenings.”
She added that her only weekly break often becomes a day to recover instead of a day to relax. She expressed, “Sundays are mostly spent recovering from the week’s exhaustion, and before I know it, it’s Monday again. I badly want to switch the job. I’m ready to accept lesser pay but still other companies are also asking for 6 day work week…We’re humans, not machines just to improve someone’s empire. When will this stop? Almost all the countries are adopting 5 days work week”In the comments section, the engineer revealed that she earns Rs 23,000 per month. She said that after paying rent, sending money home and covering daily expenses, she has almost no savings left.
A user asked her, “How do you pay rent and save money?” The engineer replied, “There is no money left for savings, 8k for rent, 10K I will send to my home, I’ll keep 5k for transport expenses and miscellaneous expenses.”
Her post received several reactions from users who discussed the challenges of long working hours and work-life balance, especially in the construction sector.One user shared their experience and commented, “I have friends who live in camps of contractor works like 24×7×365. The residence is of ultra bogus quality. It's a highway project. The WLB is better in metro projects, but it’s worse in highway projects.”
Another user encouraged her to look for better opportunities and wrote, “I am so proud of you, OP. Please apply for new jobs and pray for a better opportunity. 23k for 6day per week is brutal. I pray you have enough strength every day and have a good sleep every night. All I can do is pray for you. All the best.”