In less than 48 hours, L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan has come under fire for his recent comments on working hours. A video of him discussing the need for employees to work 90 hours a week even on Sundays to maintain competitiveness has gone viral. The video, directed by Subraman to a query about mandatory Saturday work, has sparked controversy among viewers over the impact such a work culture has on employees' mental health.
In the video, Subramanian had responded to an employee's question about mandating work on Saturdays: “Honestly, I'm sorry I can't make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sunday, I'm even happier because I work on Sunday… What are you doing sitting at home? How long can you look at your wife? Come to the office and start working.”
Unfortunately, while a 48-hour work week is the norm, Subramanian is not the first industry leader to suggest longer working hours in India, with any additional hours classified as overtime under the country's labor regulations. Earlier, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy had proposed a 70-hour work week for Indians. But here are more names that the workers wanted out.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk promoted the idea of longer work hours and eliminated remote work across all of his companies last year. According to Musk, keeping it consistent for 80 to 100 weeks can increase the chances of success.
Musk emphasized that working more than the standard 40-hour week can achieve more results. In a tweet, he stated that working only 40 hours a week does not lead to significant changes and world-changing innovations.
“There are easy places to work, but nobody changed the world in 40 hours a week,” Musk first said in 2018.
NR Narayana Murthy
In a 2023 interview, Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy suggested that for India to be competitive with economies that have seen significant growth over the past few decades, young people must commit to working 70 hours a week.
He emphasized the need to improve work productivity in India, calling it one of the lowest in the world. Addressing issues such as government corruption, bureaucratic delays and decision-making inefficiencies, he emphasized the importance of overcoming these barriers to global success.
Drawing on his own experience of working 85-90 hours a week until his retirement, the 78-year-old entrepreneur urged the younger generation to prioritize their dedication to the country by putting in long hours.
“India's labor productivity is one of the lowest in the world. If we don't improve our work productivity, if we don't reduce some level of government corruption, because we've read, I don't know the truth of that, if we don't reduce the delay in our bureaucracy to make this decision, we won't. Being able to compete with countries that have made great progress,” he said.
Jack Ma
Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma supported China's “996” work schedule, which works from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. In 2019, Ma called the schedule a “huge opportunity,” suggesting that people who are passionate about their careers see the ability to work long hours as a privilege.
Despite being criticized for advocating excessive working hours, I argued that those who are truly committed to their work do not find the “996” schedule burdensome. According to him, achieving success requires unwavering commitment and the willingness to endure temporary setbacks in pursuit of long-term goals.
Bhavis Aggawal
Ola CEO Bhavish Aggawal also expressed his support for NR Narayana Murthy's proposal of a 70-hour work week, dismissing the concept of work-life balance as a Western idea. Despite receiving backlash on social media for endorsing Murthy's comments, Aggarwal remained steadfast in his belief that making India the top country in the world requires hard work and sacrifice.
In a podcast discussion, he said: “I was criticized for publicly supporting Mr. Murthy's statement, but I remain unwavering in my belief that commitment and persistence are essential to achieving our goal of becoming a leading economy.”
Adit Palicha
Zepto's 22-year-old co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha admitted in a statement last year that his team devotes a significant amount of time to their work, 80-100 hours a week. He noted that later, half an hour of work would have achieved the same result with less stress. Palicha emphasized that beyond a certain threshold the importance of chasing money diminishes. He attributed his team's willingness to work long hours to his desire to build Zepto and the satisfaction of the challenge.
“Honestly, working 80-100 hours a week, we could have worked half that with less stress… At some point, money becomes irrelevant,” he said.
Shantanu Deshpande
In a recent LinkedIn post, Shantanu Deshpande, CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, emphasized the importance of committing to work during the initial years of one's career. Deshpande advised the young professionals to prioritize their work over leisure activities and spend long hours focusing on their professional development.
Deshpande wrote: “When you are 22 and new to your job, throw yourself into it. Eat well and stay healthy, but put at least 4-5 years on 18 hour days. I see a lot of young people watching random content and convincing themselves that 'work life balance, spending time with family, rejuvenation blah blah' is important. It is, but not so soon. At that early stage, worship your work…don't ramble randomly. Take it on the chin and persevere. You will be better for it. “
Later, he apologized: “To those who were hurt by my post – I apologize for that. I recognize the need for nuance and context.”
Hours versus productivity
Recent research has challenged the idea that longer working hours are directly associated with greater productivity and economic growth. Narayan Murthy said India should emulate China, known for its average annual working hours of 2,169 and per capita GDP of $14,129. However, data from Our World In Data suggests that factors such as levels of development and industry play a more important role in a country's economic output.
Countries like India and Bangladesh, which work longer hours than Western countries, have lower GDP per capita. For example, Indians work an average of 2,123 hours annually but have a per capita GDP of $6,711, suggesting that long hours of work are not essential to economic prosperity.
And alternative research, such as a Stanford University study, contradicts the idea that longer working hours contribute to greater economic prosperity and productivity. In fact, studies show that working more than 49 hours per week can actually lead to decreased productivity in the workforce.