A contradictory view at Infosys, it seems. After a 70-hour week remark by Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy, the IT services major is now encouraging employees to focus on maintaining work-life balance.
Infosys’ new HR initiative
According to a report by Economic Times, Infosys has reportedly started an internal campaign in which the company HR is tracking employees’ time spent on office work and repeatedly urging staff to stick to regular working hours, especially during remote work. In fact, employees logging excessive hours are receiving personalized emails reminding them to stick to regular schedules and prioritize their well-being.
The Economic Times report maintained that the IT major’s HR team is sending health reminder emails to employees whose average monthly working hours are exceeding the standard 9.15 hours per day, five days a week. “We must work for 9.15 hours a day for five days a week, and if we overshoot this while working remotely, it prompts a trigger,” one employee told the publication. The emails also detail the number of days worked remotely, total hours logged, and the daily average working hours.
Not only this, the emails also come with a clear reminder encouraging employees to take regular breaks, speak up if feeling overwhelmed, delegate tasks when necessary, and fully disconnect from work during non-working hours. “Use your off hours to recharge and limit work-related interactions as much as possible,” one of the messages stated.
Infosys emphasised that this is crucial not just for individual well-being but also for sustained professional performance.
The new focus on employee well-being was reportedly introduced after Infosys implemented a hybrid work model. Starting November 20, 2023, the company enforced a return-to-office policy mandating employees to be in the office for a minimum of 10 days each month. Since then, the HR department has been monitoring the number of hours employees work while working remotely. Infosys has a workforce workforceof over 323,000 employees.
Contrasting legacy viewpoint of Narayana Murthy
While this is in line with a healthy work-life balance that should be encouraged by corporates, this is in clear contrast to what Narayana Murthy had advocated just last year.
Speaking at the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s centenary celebration in Kolkata, Narayana Murthy had said that young Indians need to work harder if the country wants to become a global powerhouse. “If we are not in a position to work hard, then who will work hard?” he had asked, pointing to the 800 million Indians living below the poverty line.
In November 2024, at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit, he had publicly opposed India’s move to a five-day work week in 1986. “I don’t believe in work-life balance… I have not changed my view; I will take this to my grave,” he had said.
Infosys founder had revealed that he used to go to work at 6:20 am every day and return at 8:30 pm, completing over 14 hours of work shift a day. He had added that he worked for 6.5 days a week till he retired and that he is very proud of it.