Infosys co-founder and former CEO Narayana Murthy sparked a debate about work-life balance after making a remark on the country’s labor productivity in a podcast. During a conversation with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, Murthy emphasized that the youth should work at least 70 hours a week to increase labor productivity in the country. This, in his opinion, is necessary in order for the country to remain competitive with nations such as China and Japan. While many supported his remark, others simply disagreed. From Anupam Mittal to Bhavish Aggarwal, some agreed with Murthy’s views on labor productivity. However, many disagreed, including Harsh Mariwala and Chetan Bhagat.
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. (ANI)
See who said what on Narayana Murthy’s remark:
1- Sharp Goenka
RPG Enterprises President Harsh Goenka reached out to Xu to share his thoughts on the 70-hour work week. He shared that a hybrid work culture is ‘the present and the future’. He further added, “It’s no longer about 50 or 70 hours of work, it’s about your own ambition, your purpose and your productivity.”
2- Ashneer Grover
Ashneer Grover, former co-founder and managing director of BharatPe, also shared his views on X. He wrote, “I think the junta [public] I took offense here because work is still measured in ‘hours’ rather than ‘results’. Another thing is that people feel as if the laziness of the youth is the only thing that is preventing India from becoming developed. Funny – offending unites us more than cricket, religion, caste or language.”
Ashneer Grover tweeted this about work productivity. (X/@Ashneer_Grover)
3- Anupam Mittal
Anupam Mittal, founder of Shadi.com, reacted to Narayana Murthy’s comment and tweeted, “After all these years, I still work 70 hours a week.” He also shared a picture of fellow judges from the Shark Tank India set.
4- Namita Thapar
Emcure Pharmaceuticals CEO Namita Thapar reacted to the ongoing debate. She tagged Anupam Mittal and wrote: “If we listen to you and other experts about working 70 hour weeks (plus horrible commute times) will we ever find time for family, making precious memories and most importantly mental health?”
5- CP Gurnani
CP Gurnani of Tech Mahindra also shared his thoughts on working 70 hours a week. He wrote that he should work 40 hours for the company and invest the remaining 30 hours in himself.
6- Bhavish Aggarwal
Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder of Ola Cabs, said in a tweet that he agreed with Narayan Murthy. “It is our moment to do our best and build in one generation what other countries have built over many generations!” read part of Aggarwal’s tweet.
Bhavish Aggarwal wrote this on X.(X/@bhash)
7- Spicy Mariwala
Marica president Harsh Mariwala disagreed with Narayana Murthy’s remark about the 70-hour work week. While Mariwala agrees that ‘hard work is the backbone of success’, he believes, “It’s not about the hours worked. It’s about the quality and passion one brings to those hours.”
8- Radhika Gupta
Edelweiss MF CEO Radhika Gupta also echoed Narayana Murthy’s remark. “Between offices and homes, many Indian women work far more than seventy hours a week to build India (through our work) and the next generation of Indians (our children). For years and decades. With a smile, and without asking for overtime. Interestingly, no one discussed us on Twitter,” wrote Radhika Gupta on X.
9- Sajjan Jindal
Sajjan Jindal, managing director of JSW Steel, tweeted that he ‘wholeheartedly supports’ Narayana Murthy’s statement. He further said that India does not need a five-day week culture at present. He added that he works about 10-12 hours a day.
Not only corporate leaders but others also reacted to Murthy’s remarks.
10- Chetan Bhagat
Author Chetan Bhagat shared his thoughts on the work in an Instagram post. He wrote: “You work 35 hours a week. He doesn’t have to be 70.” But he added that those 35 hours should really be productive.
11- Suniel Shetty
Actor Suniel Shetty also shared his views on LinkedIn. He wrote: “The way I read his mind is simple – it’s about stepping outside your comfort zone.” He added: “If I could change one thing about my 20s it would be to put more hours into studying. This is coming from someone who worked full-time until the age of 17, didn’t socialize much because I worked in restaurants most nights of the week, including weekends and especially during festivals, and still managed to maintain my fitness routines.”
Mohandas Pai from Infosys also gave his opinion. He shared data on ‘how many hours per week do urban males (15-19) work each week?’ Pai captioned the data: “Interesting data! This is for all ages. The NRN advice was for young people, people under 30 years old! Prosperity requires hard work, data shows.”
What did Narayana Murthy say?
full name Murthy made these remarks while appearing on the inaugural episode of ‘The Record’, 3one4 Capital’s podcast. During a conversation with Mohandas Pai, Murthy said, “If we want to compete with the fastest growing countries like China and Japan, we have to increase our labor productivity. Currently, labor productivity in India is very low. The government must also reduce the time it takes to make decisions and curb corruption in the bureaucracy.”
“Our young people should work at least 70 hours a week,” he added.
“Exciting news! Hindustan Times is now on WhatsApp channels 
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay up to date with the latest news!” Click here!
Categories: Trending
Source: newstars.edu.vn