India's Business Community Divided Over Narayana Murthy's 70-hour Work-Week Proposal, Harsh Goenka Advocates for Flexible, Hybrid Model
Despite Support for Murthy's Intense Work Ethic, Goenka and Other Business Leaders Emphasize Productivity and Flexibility over Pure Hours Logged
- Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy suggested a 70-hour work week for India's youth to boost productivity, sparking debate; Sudha Murthy, Murthy's wife, supported the suggestion citing his belief in 'real hard work'.
- Contrarily, RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka rejected Murthy's approach, asserting the conventional five-day office week is obsolete and emphasized the value of flexibility and hybrid work, considering it equivalent to an 8% salary raise.
- Goenka identifies hybrid work - a combination of in-office and remote work - as the prevailing and future model, suggesting the focus should shift to personal ambition, purpose, and productivity.
- Other business leaders also shared their views; while Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal and JSW Group chairman Sajjan Jindal supported Murthy's proposal, Marico Chairman Harsh Mariwala and others emphasized quality and passion over hours worked.
- Mohandas Pai, Ex-Infosys CFO, backed Murthy's statement, sharing data that the average working hours in India is 61.6 per week - with higher hours in certain regions, close to Murthy's proposed 70-hour week.
