Infosys cofounder N.R. Narayana Murthy has kicked up a storm online, after exhorting youngsters last week to be prepared to work 70 hours a week for India to effectively compete with developed nations.
“India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. My request is that our youngsters must say, ‘This is my country and I want to work 70 hours a week,’ just like what the Germans and Japanese did after WWII,” said Mr Murthy.
The 77-year-old made the comment in a conversation with veteran investor and former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai in the first episode of investment firm 3one4 Capital’s podcast The Record.
Mr Murthy, whose son-in-law is British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said India’s work culture has to become highly determined, extremely disciplined and hardworking, and called on the youngsters to take the lead in this “transformation”.
As soon as the podcast went live on YouTube, comments began to flood in, with the online community divided over Mr Murthy’s remarks.
JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal showed his support, explaining that a five-day week is not a fit for a developing nation of India’s size.
Ola cofounder Bhavish Aggarwal tweeted: “Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather, it’s our moment to go all in and build in one generation what other countries have built over many generations!”
Former managing director and cofounder of BharatPe Ashneer Grover offered a rather nuanced take: “I think people got offended here because work is still being measured in ‘hours’ than ‘outcome’ and it is said as if our youth’s laziness is the only thing keeping India from becoming developed. Funny how getting offended unites us more than cricket, religion, caste or language.”
Netizens on X slammed Mr Murthy’s comments, while political representatives compared Infosys to a sweatshop and others drew a similarity between the proposal and modern slavery. There were arguments over work-life balance and how working 70 hours a week can impact mental health.
Some highlighted how excessive working hours could hamper personal commitments and impact the mental well-being of employees.
Meanwhile, Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO and managing director Radhika Gupta posted on X: “Between offices and homes, many Indian women have been working many more than 70-hour weeks to build India (through our work) and the next generation of Indians (our children). For years and decades. Funnily, no one has debated about us on Twitter.”
Edtech platform upGrad’s cofounder and chairperson Ronnie Screwvala begged to differ with Mr Murthy’s argument, saying that boosting productivity was not just about long work hours but rather a by-product of upskilling, and positive and fair pay.
Menstruation-focussed D2C Ayurveda brand Menoveda’s cofounder Tamanna Singh, citing existing research, said that excessive working hours could lead to diminishing returns in productivity.
“Startups, in particular, rely heavily on innovation, which flourishes in an atmosphere that encourages mental and physical wellness. Nurturing such an environment is not just a matter of corporate social responsibility, it is a strategic imperative that ensures the long-term success and resilience of businesses.”
The work-life balance debate transcends geographical boundaries.
Billionaire workaholic Elon Musk reportedly emailed employees at 2am, telling them to be “extremely hardcore” and work “long hours at high intensity”. That led to resignations.
In 2019, Alibaba cofounder Jack Ma’s comment that young people should work 12 hours a day, six days a week, sparked a controversy. Later that year, he said people could just work three days a week, four hours a day with the help of technology.
Indo-Asian News service
