Speaking at the ‘The Rockford Circle’ podcast with Chitrangada Singh Veeba founder and Shark Tank India judge Viraj Bahl very strongly criticised the idea and debate around 70-hour work week, calling it a “batsh*t crazy” expectation to hold from employees. Bahl explained that the concept seems and is reasonable from a founder’s point of view who will get the benefits of working long hours directly. But expecting the employees to do the same without any compensation doesn’t make sense and is irrational.
Giving an example of his own company, Bahl informed that at Veeba, he had reduced his employees’ number of working hours and no one does more than 40 hours a week.
“Expecting someone to work 70 hours without an equity upside is outdated. I think it’s an obsolete idea. Seventy-hour weeks should not happen,” Bahl said.
The debate about work-life balance began when Narayana Murthy had urged the youth of India to help build a culture that will make India more competitive globally by working more hours. This was followed by a lot of backlash but at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit, Murthy defended his statement and said that hard work is essential for India’s progress. He added, “I am sorry, I have not changed my view. I will take this with me to my grave,”
Murthy also expressed disappointment over India switching from a six-day workweek to a five-day workweek in 1986. He stated that India’s development needs sacrifice, not more rest.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan also faced criticism for his comments about working 90 hours a week. In a video from an internal meeting that was circulated on Reddit, Subrahmanyan suggested that employees should work on Sundays and questioned how much time people should spend at home.
“How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working,” Subrahmanyan had said. This led to further criticism, including from Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone who took to social media and expressed her dissappointment.