L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan recently sparked attention with his comments on work-life balance, suggesting employees should work 90-hour weeks and even give up Sundays. Subrahmanyan’s comments came during an employee interaction where he was questioned about L&T's six-day workweek policy.
His comments could intensify the ongoing debate on work-life balance, following Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s suggestion of a 70-hour work week.
But Subrahmanyan has taken it a step further, saying employees should clock 90 hours a week and maybe even give up Sundays. He even asked employees, “How long can you stare at your wife?” urging them to spend less time at home and more at the office.
Responding to the query about why employees are required to work on Saturdays, Subrahmanyan expressed regret that he couldn’t mandate Sunday as a working day as well. In a video circulating on Reddit, he said, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays."
Subrahmanyan further questioned what employees do while staying at home. "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?" he asked. "Come on, get to the office and start working."
To support his views, Subrahmanyan shared an anecdote about a conversation he had with a Chinese individual. According to him, the person claimed that China could surpass the United States because Chinese workers put in 90 hours a week compared to the 50 hours worked by Americans.
"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. Get going, guys. Come on," Subrahmanyan said in the undated video.
The video, which was first shared on Reddit, has gone viral, drawing criticism from netizens. Many users found Subrahmanyan’s comments inappropriate and compared them to the remarks made by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy last year.
Murthy had suggested that young Indians should work 70 hours a week to help build the nation, which also faced widespread backlash.
In the Reddit comments section, some users questioned Subrahmanyan’s understanding of work-life balance, while others criticised the broader culture of promoting overwork. Many felt his remarks trivialised employees' personal lives, with the comment about staring at one’s wife particularly drawing sharp responses.
