As the corporate earnings season kicks off, all eyes are on the upcoming bottom lines of India Inc. But beyond profit figures, another topic has gained significant momentum: long working hours. What began as a suggestion by Infosys cofounder Narayana Murthy for a 70-hour workweek has now sparked a massive debate, thanks to L&T chairman's recent comments on working hours.
"I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays also," L&T Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan said when the company’s chief communications officer inquired about why, despite being a top conglomerate, employees are being asked to work on Saturdays.
This alone was not that problematic as many top CEOs and founders, including social media's most favorite C-suit executive 'Elon Musk,' have long-been advocating for long working hours.
What triggered massive unrest among netizens was his contextual comments. "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working”, the L&T chairman further added.
Following his remarks, several celebrities and political figures, including Deepika Padukone and BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, voiced their opposition and called his views a disregard for work-life balance.
“Indian businesses, whether large corporations or MSMEs, thrive on the dedication of their workforce. Advocating for grueling work hours will only deteriorate productivity, increase stress levels, and harm the overall economy,” Khandelwal said.
As for now, the work-life balance debate is still going strong and it’s all because India Inc. is totally split. Some are backing Murthy's and Subrahmanyan's take that if India wants to grow, working long hours is a must, while others are all about ‘quality over quantity.’
Here's how major industrialists have reacted-
Anand Mahindra, Mahindra Group Chairman
The group chairman stated that, at the end of the day what matters is the 'output' one can produce. Whether that output comes in 40 hours, 70 hours or 90 hours should not be the question. One can change the world in just 10 hours.
He highlighted that the quality of work should always be kept as the top priority.
"I think this debate is in the wrong direction because this debate is about the quantity of work. My point is we have to focus on the quality of work, not on the quantity of work. So it's not about 40 hours, or 70 hours or 90 hours. What output are you doing even if it's 10 hours? You can change the world in 10 hours... I have always believed that you have to have leaders and people in your company who make wise decisions and wise choices," he reportedly said.
Harsh Goenka, RPG Group Chairman
The industrialist strongly advocated for a work-life balance. According to Goenka, work-life balance is essential as long working hours can often result in burnout. He also added a hashtag of work smart and not save with his comments.
"90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept! Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential. Well, that’s my view!" he said in a social post.
Deepak Shenoy, Capitalmind Founder
Shenoy pointed out that most of the 'real' work happens in just 4-5 hours a day and added that work and productivity aren’t bound by traditional concepts of time.
"I've probably worked 100 hours a week for nearly all my working life, but most of that was as an entrepreneur. You don't have to enforce working hours. People who are motivated will work happily. In any case most real work happens in 4-5 hours a day, but you don't know when that happens," Shenoy said.
Besides corporate, major political figures have also openly criticised L&T chairman's recent statement and have called his comments misogynist.
“Besides being misogynistic, this statement reeks of wanting to be the new age slave drivers of India," Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said in a social post.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra went on to draw a comparison between the working hours in Denmark and its economic standing. "Danish engineers Larsen & Toubro founded L&T in 1938. Today Denmark ranks 3rd globally in work life balance, 9th in GDP/capita & averages 34 hrs worked/wk. Get a life Mr. Chairman," she wrote on X.
Even last year, the debate over long working hours sparked a controversy in India's corporate sphere. Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal’s claim of working 20 hours every single day also drew heavy criticism from netizens. This eventually pushed another war of words around the hierarchical pay gaps.
Namita Thapar, executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, said in a separate post that while founders may work long hours, salaried employees shouldn’t be expected to do the same. "The founders, set of co-founders and top management, look at the kind of money they are making. Obviously, we could work 20 hours a day," she said.
As of now, the debate around working hours is still on, especially as Gen Z enters the workforce. And this generation is known for being loud when something doesn’t sit right.
Check out our cover on workplace toxicity| Anxious, Exhausted, Sinking: Why Young Indians Are Struggling at Work
