Akshat Kharbanda, a graduate from INSEAD, posted five questions on LinkedIn questioning the fairness and logic behind the 90-hour workweek comment of L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan. Kharbanda’s post has resonated widely and challenged corporate India’s overwork culture.
Kharbanda fired five incisive questions at corporate leaders: “If I give you 90 hours, are you giving me 90-hour pay? Promotions? Equity? Or just lip service on ‘patriotism’?” He urged companies to prioritise “results over hours and people over optics”.
The controversy began when Subrahmanyan defended mandatory Saturday workdays, quipping, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?” He justified extended work hours by citing China’s alleged 90-hour work ethic as a driver of economic dominance.
Kharbanda dismissed such arguments, asking, “How much of this work is truly value-adding, and how much is just performative busyness?” He also questioned the relevance of comparing India’s workforce to China and Singapore in today’s context.
Joining the discourse, IIT Mandi professor Nirmalya Kajuri highlighted how countries like the U.S. and Japan compensate overtime, while Indian firms often demand excessive hours without pay. “If India strictly enforces overtime pay, corporate bosses would suddenly champion work-life balance,” he noted.
Kharbanda concluded with a call for introspection, posting, “Hard work matters when it’s for your growth and meaningful outcomes. But working just to meet irrational expectations? Neither efficient nor sustainable.”