Recently interviewed at a start-up and they asked me to work 60hrs a week and when I asked about whether we get overtime compensation HR told me “if you want work-life balance it’s your choice” ( gurgaon start-up)
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a recent hiring experience I had with a Gurgaon-based early-stage startup and get opinions if this is normal or a red flag.
I was approached for a social media role. HR initially said the working hours are 9–7.When I calculated it, if it’s Mon–Sat, that already becomes 60 hours/week.
So I asked politely if there’s an alternate Saturday off / comp-off structure, or if overtime is compensated.
Their reply was basically:
“9–6 fixed working hours”
“6–7 extra timings for pending tasks”
“It’s an early stage startup, we need people who want to build and learn”
“If you prefer work life balance it’s your choice completely”
When I clarified that I understand startup culture (I’m currently working in a startup that operates in India + Canada) where by the way I work 9-5, but I wanted clarity on overtime/comp-off policy, HR ended the conversation with:
“Your expectations and our requirements are not aligning. Will let you know if any such opportunity arises in future.”
I’m not even demanding less working hours or anything a strict 9–7 I’m fine with that extra work during deadlines. But the way they dismissed a basic question about working hours and compensation felt like a huge red flag.
Is this kind of response normal in Gurgaon startups?
Or did I dodge a bullet?
Would love to know how others handle this situation.
I also checked that normal working hours are generally capped at around 48 hrs/week and anything beyond that is supposed to be overtime/comp-off depending on company policy/state rules. That’s why I asked for clarity.