Woman notes ‘stark difference in work ethic' of domestic help in Chennai & Delhi, ignites another North vs South debate

Mint

5 days ago

A north Indian woman who recently shifted to Delhi after living in Chennai for four years noted a 'stark difference' in the work ethic and mindset of people, especially domestic help, in the two regions.
In a lengthy LinkedIn post, Naina Pathak shared 'what a tale of two regions taught her about work ethic and social mindset'.
Naina said that after living for almost four years in Chennai and then spending a year in Delhi, she witnessed better professionalism in the southern city than in the national capital.
'In Chennai, whether it was professionals or household help, I saw sincerity,' Naina said.
She shared that her maid in Chennai would start her day at 6:30 AM, work at 5–6 houses until 1 PM, and then join an MNC for cleaning from 2 PM to 9 PM. On weekends, she'd take up extra work, such as tailoring and garland-making, to earn more and give her children a better life.
'What amazed me was their honesty. On day one, she told me: 'I'll take two fixed leaves. If I take more, cut my salary.' No drama — just accountability,' Naina wrote.
She said that when she ever wasted food unintentionally, her househelp in Chennai would politely ask her to give it to her instead of throwing it away, as respect for food.
'Once, when I wasted some food unintentionally, she gently said, 'Akka, if you can't finish something, give it to us. Don't throw it away.' That respect for food and values stayed with me,' Naina shared.
Naina noted that after moving to Delhi, she has hired six maids in just one year.
'Despite getting the salary they asked for, there were constant unannounced leaves,' she said, adding that they also had excuses ready when questioned.
'I got excuses — 'someone died,' 'I fainted,' 'a relative is in hospital.' It became routine,' Naina wrote.
She also noted that the househelps in Delhi get offended by the mere suggestion of a cut salary and reject leftovers.
'Forget saying 'cut salary' — here, even suggesting it offends them. Boundaries turn you into the villain. Even accepting leftover food was an issue, often rejected with ego,' she shared.
After observing closely, Naina said she realised that the real difference was the 'mindset and ambition' of people in these regions.
'In the South, many domestic workers — even without education — speak broken but confident English, value time, and dream of a better future,' she said.
'In contrast, in the North, some seem unwilling to rise above the 'garibi rekha.' With free rations like ₹ 1 rice and dal, survival is covered — but dreams are sidelined. Education is often a means to mid-day meals, not growth,' she added.
Naina also noted that despite language barriers, communication was respectful in the South. However, in the North, with no language gap, she often faced ego and resistance.
Naina claimed that her post wasn't a North vs South rant but 'about how values, systems, and environment shape people.' 'Where work is respected, people thrive. Where support replaces ambition, growth stops,' she added.
However, social media users felt differently and said that she was wrong to compare.
'This feels considerably shortsighted,' a user said.
'Framing the 'good' domestic worker as someone who agrees to salary cuts for extra leave or gratefully accepts leftover food just trivialises the profession altogether. Why is it too much to expect self-respect across all professions?' he said justifying his comment.
'Domestic work is still work - it deserves dignity, fair boundaries, and wages that aren't subject to casual penalties. Comparing two regions by reducing their workers to who is more 'compliant' is problematic,' the user added.
He also slammed the AI-generated imagery she used alongside her post, saying it 'only adds to the tastelessness of that framing.'
'There's a bigger conversation to be had about systems, opportunity, and social equity - but it needs to be had without romanticising deference or penalising self-respect,' the user added.
This comes at a time when hundreds of domestic workers and sanitation staff have left Gurugram, fearing police checks and detention.
This sudden exit has severely disrupted waste collection. Garbage has been piling up on streets while door-to-door waste collection systems have literally collapsed.