TV viewers were deeply divided over Infosys founder Narayan Murthy’s remark on a 70-hour work week, with many criticizing it as unreasonable. The former CFO of Infosys, Mohandas Pai, stated that Narayana Murthy’s recommendation was best for younger individuals, those under thirty, based on data showing the number of hours worked by urban men in each state. Mohandas Pai said, “Prosperity requires hard work, data shows,” endorsing the 70-hour workweek recommendation.
The map that Mohandas Pai published shows that the average weekly working hours in India are 61.6 hours, with Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recording the maximum hours worked at 78.6—more than the amount suggested by Narayan Murthy. The data originates from the 2019 Time Use Survey conducted by the Indian government.
Mohandas Pai’s podcast featured Narayana Murthy, who stated that India has to double its output. India has some of the lowest rates of labour productivity worldwide. We won’t be able to compete with those nations that have made enormous strides unless we increase work productivity, lower government corruption to some extent—we’ve been reading about it, but I don’t know the reality—and shorten the time it takes for our bureaucracy to make decisions,” stated Murthy.
Data from a former CFO, Mohandas Pai
Therefore, I kindly ask that our children declare, “This is my country.” My goal is to work seventy hours a week. After World War II, the Germans and Japanese precisely achieved this, according to Narayana Murthy.
The remark received a lot of backlash on social media for two reasons: first, people questioned the compensation Infosys provides to fresh graduates and how it has remained constant over time; second, they raised concerns about the health effects of working longer hours. Another topic of discussion was the “sweatshop” nature of Indian business practices.
Many social media users, took issue with Murthy’s comments, pointing out that such demanding hours are not realistic and citing the hours spent travelling as evidence. Former MD and Bharatpe co-founder Ashneer Grover added his voice to the discussion. The fact that work is still quantified in “hours” rather than “outcomes,” I believe is why Junta took offence. The other issue is the perception that India’s lack of development is only due to the idleness of its youth.