Sanjeev Sanyal, who is an economist and helps advise the Prime Minister on the economy, has spoken out about the problem of people working too many hours in big companies. On X, he said, “Only top managers can handle 80-hour work weeks because they have support systems like secretaries and assistants. Others need to have a life.” He also mentioned that working so much can actually lead to mistakes and lower quality of work. He pointed out that many employees end up doing personal things during work hours, like taking long lunches or going to the gym, especially in high-pressure jobs like those in Wall Street and London.
The 90-Hour Workweek Debate
Things got even more heated when SN Subrahmanyan, the Chairman of Larsen & Toubro, suggested that workers should put in 90 hours a week. In an old video, he said, “I wish I could get you to work on Sundays. If I could, I’d be happier because I work on Sundays.” He brushed aside worries about work-life balance by asking, “What do you do at home? How long can you just look at your wife?” He even shared that people in China work 90 hours a week while Americans only work 50 hours, saying, “If you want to be the best, you have to work 90 hours. Get to it!”
His comments led to a lot of backlash. Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of the Mahindra Group, said, “This is about working smart, not just long hours. You can make a huge difference even in just 10 hours.” Former HCL CEO Vineet Nayar also criticized the idea of long hours, saying, “We should stop thinking that being busy is good. A life filled with long hours makes us tired and less creative.”
Harsh Goenka, Chairman of RPG Enterprises, joked online, “90 hours a week? Why don’t we just rename Sunday as ‘Sun-duty’? Work-life balance must be respected; it is not a choice.” Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, shared her experience of working close to 100 hours a week early in her career, saying she was unhappy most of the time. She remembered crying at work and feeling exhausted.
She pointed out, “Working hard doesn’t mean just working long hours. Hard work should be about sustainable effort so we can keep improving over time.” Gupta encouraged companies to create work environments that inspire people instead of forcing them to work excessively. “When people find meaning in their work, they do their best, even when things are tough. It’s much easier to motivate than to force,” she added.
This whole discussion began after Narayana Murthy, a co-founder of Infosys, suggested last month that young people in India should work for 70 hours a week to keep up with others worldwide. He emphasized that India needs to change its work habits to compete better with countries like China and Japan. However, critics have warned that such a shift could harm work-life balance and overall well-being. Gupta echoed these thoughts, saying, “While we work towards India’s success, let’s aim to be a happy nation that enjoys progress while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.”
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