The debate on work-life balance has intensified since Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan went viral on social media. In an undated video, Subraman can be heard saying that employees must work 90 hours a week.
During the employee interaction, the L&T chairman was asked why employees still had to work on Saturdays. To this he quipped that he regretted not being able to make them work on Sundays as well.
“What are you doing sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?” asked the chairman. He added: “Come, go to the office and work.”
Needless to say, his statement drew the ire of India Inc. Industry leaders from Anand Mahindra to Harsh Mariwala and Anupam Mittal shared their views on Subramanian's comments. Here's what they had to say
Here's what industry leaders have to say about viral video
Harsh Goenka
In a post on X, RPG Enterprises chairman Banned Subramanian's proposal, saying: “90 hours a week? Why not call Sunday 'Sun-Duty' and make 'holiday' a myth! Hard work is what I believe in. , But Making life a perpetual office shift is a recipe for success, not necessarily my vision #WorkSmartNotSlave.”
Ananda Mahinda
Taking umbrage at Subramanian's 'how long can you look at your wife' remark, the Mahindra Group chief said at an event: “I don't want to tell people on social media that I'm in X, not because I'm lonely. My wife is wonderful. I look up to her. I like to wait, so I'm not here to make friends.
Further, the industry leader said holistic thinking is key to making the right decisions. “If you don't, if you don't spend time at home, if you don't spend time with friends, if you don't read, if you don't have time to reflect, how do you bring the right things? Inputs to make a decision?”
Rajiv Bajaj
Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj said in an interview that at the end of the day, what matters is the quality of work, not the number of hours logged. And, he said: “Let's start from the top of 90 hours.”
He compared the inefficiency of an organization to a bottle, where the bottleneck is always at the top. “Regardless of who you are and what you do in a company, if you consider your commute and work hours you work 12 hours a day. It's about half your day,” he said.
Harsh Mariwala
Marico founder and chairman said in a recent interview that he disagreed with Subramanian's proposal. He said he had never worked such long hours a week in his career, with a few exceptions.
“On average, I worked 8-10 hours a day.” He said quality of work is important instead of employees sitting on the clock during certain hours.
He argued against pushing lower-level workers to work forever beyond their scheduled shifts. “They don't have ESOPs (employee stock options)…if pushed, they might just join another job.”
Vinit Nair
Former HCL CEO Vineet Nair criticized the glorification of long working hours and punishing schedules. He also emphasized the toll that taxing work schedules take on energy, creativity and purpose. “The best ideas, the biggest achievements? They don't come from endlessly grinding. They come from a mind alive, engaged and free to experience life.”
For the former HCL CEO, the solution is simple, one should work more if they want to and less if they can. “The number doesn't matter. What matters is whether you make room for the moments that make life worth living.”
Adar Poonawalla
Responding to industrialist Anand Mahindra's 'My wife is amazing, I love looking at her' comment, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said, “Yes Anand Mahindra, even my wife Natasha Poonawalla thinks I'm amazing, she Love to wait. Always quality over quantity with me.
Anupam Mittal
Shaadi.com founder and Shark Tank India judge gave a tongue-in-cheek reply to L&T chairman's polarizing proposal. “But how can we be the most populous country in the world if husband and wife don't look out for each other?”
Namitha Thapar
The Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director and Shark Tank India judge also weighed in on the heated debate on work-life balance. She said that if she works 90 hours a week, she will not be able to devote time to her needs.
In a post on X, Thapar said: “Since anyone and everyone gives gyan to 90 hour work week, here's another one from me… If I work 90 hours a week, how will I have time for philosophy, Bollywood and Shayari? My Taught me some great leadership lessons and helped me improve the quality of sharing my story on our strategy page (sic).