90-hour work week debate: Anand Mahindra, Harsh Goenka and other industry giants beg to differ with L&T chief

The debate over work-life balance has intensified since Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan went on the same page on social media. In an undated video, Subramanian can be heard saying employees should work 90 hours a week.

While interacting with the employees, the L&T boss was asked why employees continued to work on Saturday. That’s why he joked that he regretted not being able to make them work on Sundays as well.

“What are you doing sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?” asked the president. He also said: “Come on, go to the office and start working.”

Needless to say, his statements angered the India Company. From Anand Mahindra to Harsh Mariwala and Anupam Mittal, industry giants shared their views on Subramanian’s statements. Here’s what they had to say

Here’s what the industry giants had to say in the viral video

Harsh Goenka

Chairman of RPG Enterprises criticized Subrahmanyan’s proposal and said in a post on Living in a constant office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. #WorkSmarterNotSlave.

Anand Mahindra

While delving into Subrahmanyan’s remark ‘How long can you stare at your wife’, the Mahindra Group chief on one occasion said: ‘I want to tell people that I’m on X on social media and not because I’m lonely. My wife is amazing. I love staring at her, so I’m not here.’ To make friends.

Moreover, the industry giant said that holistic thinking is the key to making the right decisions. “If you don’t do that, if you don’t spend time at home, if you don’t spend time with friends, if you don’t read, if you don’t have time to think, how are you going to bring the right input into decision making?”

Rajeev Bajaj

Bajaj Auto managing director Rajeev Bajaj said in an interview that what matters at the end of the day is the quality of work and not the number of hours logged. Moreover, he said, “Let the 90 hours start at the top.”

He also compared the inefficiencies of an organization to a bottle, where the bottleneck is always formed at the top. “No matter who you are and what you do at the company, you’re literally working 12 hours a day if you take into account your commute and the time you spend at work. That’s about half your day,” he said.

Harsh Mariwala

Marico’s founder and chairman said in a recent interview that he disagreed with Subramanian’s proposal. He said he had never worked such long hours a week in his entire career, with a few exceptions.

“On average, I was working 8 to 10 hours a day.” He added that quality of work is important rather than making employees sit on the clock for a certain number of hours.

He also argued against making lower-level employees permanently work beyond their scheduled shifts. “They don’t have ESOPs (employee stock options)… If they were paid, they might join another job.”

Vineet Nayar

Former HCL CEO Vineet Nayar criticized the glorification of long working hours and harsh schedules. He also emphasized that taxing work schedules takes energy, creativity, and purpose. “The best ideas, the biggest accomplishments? They don’t come from endlessly grinding. They come from a mind that is alive, engaged, and free to experience life.”

For the former HCL CEO, the solution is simple that one should work more if one wants, and one can also work less if one can. “The number doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you make space for the moments that make life worth living.”

Poonawalla managed

Responding to industrialist Anand Mahindra’s statement “My wife is gorgeous, I love staring at her”, Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla said: “Yes Anand Mahindra, even my wife Natasha Poonawalla thinks I am gorgeous, she loves staring.” In my face on Sunday, quality of work always trumps quantity.”

Anupam Mittal

The Shaadi.com founder and Shark Tank India judge gave a cheeky response to the L&T chief’s polarizing proposal. “But sir, if husband and wife do not look out for each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world?”

Namita Thapar

The Emcure Pharmaceuticals CEO and Shark Tank India judge also weighed in on the raging debate on work-life balance. She said she wouldn’t be able to make time for her interests if she worked 90 hours a week.

Thapar said in a post on In leadership and helped me improve the quality of my work and my results??