How long is too long when it comes to working hours? Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of software exporter Infosys, stoked a debate months ago when he suggested youth should work for 70 hours. That debate hadn’t fully died down when this week, Larsen & Toubro’s chairman SN Subrahmanyan kicked off a social media storm with his 90-hour work week remark.
When Narayana Murthy first raised this issue, he cited his own rigorous work schedule in his years at Infosys, the tech giant that put India firmly on the path towards being the largest software services exporter.
Murthy’s belief was that there is no substitute for hard work, and therefore, had called on the youth to work 70 hours and boost the productivity of the country.
Subrahmanyan, who heads the country’s largest engineering and construction company, goes a step further in advocating 90 hours of work and work even on Sunday.
In an undated video where someone asks why L&T is making employees work on Saturdays, he says he regrets he is not able to make people work on Sundays.
“If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays also,” he replied.
If that wasn’t enough, he wondered how long one could stare at his wife or a wife staring at the husband. “Come on, get to the office and start working,” he’s heard saying.
After the video sparked widespread criticism, L&T issued a statement trying to set the context of Subrahmanyan’s remarks, stating it reflected the larger ambition of nation-building. It was India’s decade and demanded collective dedication to drive progress and realise a shared vision of becoming a developed nation, it said.
In a way, the statements of Narayana Murthy as well as Subrahmanyan are not different; both advocate people to put in more hard work at a time when India, as a developed nation, has a long way to go.
There is no doubt that hard work and collective effort are needed if we are to become a developed nation and compete with the best of the best. But, does hard work mean you only work? Isn’t a balance between work and life necessary for one’s well-being, too? This is the crux of the ongoing debate.
“Undeniably, hard work is the backbone of success, but it’s not about the hours clocked in. It’s about the quality and passion one brings to those hours,” opined Harsh Mariwala, the chairman of FMCG major Marico.
He says when individuals see a path where hard work translates to a promising future, they are naturally inclined to give their best.
“The ultimate objective should be to make work so invigorating and rewarding that the paradigm of work-life balance seamlessly integrates,” he adds.
Others like Harsh Goenka, the chairman of RPG Enterprises, too believe in working hard and smart. But, turning life into a perpetual office shift is a “recipe for burnout,” says Goenka.
“Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential,” he stresses.
Radhika Gupta, the CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, also chipped in with her thoughts. Gupta says hard work is important, and she believes the person who works harder will rise faster. However, she also feels that hard work is a choice and that hard work is not important to productivity or hours worked.
She cited her own example where she had worked 100 hours a week for four consecutive months on the first project in her first job. It was 18 hours a day, with one day off on a Monday and 90 per cent of the time she was “miserable,” she recollects.
“Many developed nations work 8-to-4, but ensure those hours are productive. Come in on time, bring your best to work, have only necessary meetings and use technology to be effective,” says Gupta.
Weighing in on the debate, Rajiv Bajaj, the managing director of Bajaj Auto, said let the 90-hours start from the top, and if it proves to be fruitful over 3-4 years, then one can talk about implementing down the line.
Importantly, speaking on the TV channel CNBC TV18, he said companies must move away from measuring hours or rigid working hours, which he termed “archaic and “regressive,” to moving more towards speed.
In recent times, we have seen several examples of burnout at work. In September last year, a young chartered accountant died nearly four months into her first job at one of the big four consulting firms, with her mother alleging that the girl was physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted after being overburdened with excessive workload.
COVID-19 changed the way we work completely. Work from home gained traction. Even today, many companies still operate in a hybrid mode. In an increasingly digital world, new technology is speeding up many processes, leading to quicker outcomes. So, as top CEOs have pointed out, this may well be a time to rethink how we work and how many hours we put in to complete the given tasks.
Of course, in core engineering and manufacturing, not everything is possible digitally or remotely. But, companies must think of the emotional well-being of employees. Eventually, if getting the work done on time is key, how that is achieved, setting a balance between work and life may be key to the happiness of employees and the success of companies.