NewDelhi: Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) SN Subrahmanyan was at the centre of a major controversy after he promoted a 90-hour workweek, which was opposed by Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and other celebrities.
During an employee interactive session, Subrahmanyan expressed regret for not being able to make employees work on Sundays and made controversial remarks about employees’ time at home. “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?” he questioned, suggesting that employees should spend more time at the office.
Deepika Padukone, who advocates for mental health, posted on Instagram to show her disapproval: “Shocking is to see people in positions so high speak so. #MentalHealthMatters” Her response has received significant support on social media.
The L&T chairman defended his comment by making a comparison with the work culture in China, asserting that Chinese workers work 90 hours a week compared to Americans’ 50 hours. “If you want to be the best, you should work for 90 hours a week,” Subrahmanyan asserted.
Harsh Goenka of RPG Group, who added to the criticism, suggested with irony that instead of naming it Sunday, it could be called “Sun-duty.” He elaborated that working hard and smart is indeed critical; however, making work the only priority leads to “burnout, not success.”.
The related issue was Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, who recently said that young Indians should work a 70-hour workweek. Along with these, the only remark he made was that of resonating with what the management of L&T said earlier.
On the back of this, L&T has condoned their chairman’s statements that they remain true to their cause of nation-building and the fact that “extraordinary outcomes necessitate extraordinary efforts.”