Mumbai (Staff Correspondent): Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy on Monday clarified on his 70-hour work week statement. He said that no work style should be forced on others. His statement came out last year, when he talked about working 70 hours a week, after which there was a widespread debate on the issue on social media. Many prominent industry executives also shared their views on it.
Narayan Murthy’s clarification
In his speech during the Kilachand Memorial Lecture in Mumbai, Narayana Murthy said, “There is no one who can say you should do this or you should not do this.” He also told how his work schedule was when he was laying the foundation of Infosys. “I used to reach office at 6:20 am and leave at 8:30 pm. I have done this for 40 years. This is a fact. So no one can say that this is wrong,” he said. He also added in his clarification that the choice of working hours is personal to every individual and should not be discussed publicly. “These are not issues that should be discussed and debated. These are issues that one can introspect on, and one can decide according to one’s own choice,” he said.
Debate on work-life balance
Since Narayana Murthy’s comments, several key executives across the world have shared their views on work-life balance. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan also discussed the 90-hour work week, following which outrage was expressed on social media. “I am sorry I am not able to make you work on Sunday. If I can make you work on Sunday, I will be happier, because I work on Sunday,” he said. Furthermore, billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani also expressed his opinion in the debate, saying that it is wrong to impose one person’s work-life balance on another. “Your work-life balance should not be imposed on me or vice versa,” Adani said.
Debate on social media
Employees were sharing their frustrations on social media, and there were strong opinions on both sides of the debate. Some support working hard to maintain growth, while others talk about prioritising personal life along with workload.
