If Infosys founder Narayana Murthy sparked outrage over his prescription for a 70-hour week, Larsen and Toubro chairman S.N. Subrahmanyam has ignited a social media storm by going one better and rooting for a 90-hour work week.
“I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier because I work on Sundays also,” Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman and managing director S.N. Subrahmanyan told employees in an internal meeting.
The L&T chief’s comment came in response to a seemingly innocuous question posed by Sumeet Chatterjee, chief communications officer at L&T: “Why are L&T employees asked to work on Saturdays?”
The clip of that interaction went viral on social media and immediately drew howls of protest. Netizens recoiled when they heard Subrahmanyam’s rationale for what many reckon to be a bizarre suggestion that knocks the notion of work-life balance into a cocked hat.
“What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wife stare at her husband? Get to the office and start working,” the L&T chairman said.
The L&T chief said a Chinese person had told him why China would overhaul the US eventually. The Chinese person said, “Chinese people work 90 hours a week, while Americans work only 50 hours a week.”
Subrahmanyan encouraged L&T employees to adopt a similar work regime. “So, that’s the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week,” he said in the video.
L&T scrambled to douse the flames after Subrahmanyan’s flippant comment. For anyone who asked, the stock reply from the engineering and construction conglomerate that clocked revenues of over ₹1.26 lakh crore in financial year 2023-24 was that Subrahmanyam had said it in jest.
In a statement issued later in the day, an L&T spokesperson said: “At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate… We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation.”
It added: “The chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward.”
Social media users roasted the company for playing the nation card to sublimate workers’ interests.
“Nation bol diya. All debates over. You are Anti National if you oppose 90 Hour work week,” @Joydas said in a post on X.
Another riposted: “How long do u think employees can stand staring at your face(/their boss’s face)? I doubt anyone enjoys spending their Sunday away from their partners just to be stuck looking at work-related issues — unless, of course, there are some office flings,” X user @samiraa427 said.
Actress Deepika Padukone said on Instagram: “Shocking to see people in such senior positions make such statements. #mentalhealthmatters (sic).”
Industry bigwigs were equally horrified by the suggestion.
Ceat group chairman Harsh Goenka wrote on X: “90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-Duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept! Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential.”
Others also heaped scorn on the outrageous of sweat shops.
Rajiv Bajaj of Bajaj Auto said India Inc needed to move away from archaic and regressive metrics to measure performance and productivity.
The idea is not to measure the hours but what you put into those hours at work.
“The need is to focus on the qualitative aspects, and not on just one dimension,” he told a television channel.