The 90-hour workweek debate that was kickstarted by L&T chief S. N. Subrahmanyan has raged as though a wildfire and has hit all corners of the room of discourse in India, where a 6-day workweek is still the norm in many parts of the country.
Ex-IRS Officer On 90-hour Debate
Former Indian Revenue Services (IRS) official and TedX speaker and online content creator Ravi Kapoor has weighed in on the matter.
In a post on his Instagram account with over a lakh followers, Kapoor said that those who advocate these policies of a 90-hour workweek and working on Sundays are mostly founders of the company.
L&T Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan | X
Founder Vs Employee
According to Kapoor, there is a dichotomy between the senior management/founder of the company and the regular employees working for the same company.
CEOs and founders have incentives and advantages that regular employees do not have. They do not have the same target and motivation that the founders and CEOs who preach these may apparently have.
Kapoor further went on to underscore the importance of work-life balance and said that family is important.
He added that one works to 'get somewhere' in their lives and not spend their entire lives at work.
Hustle Culture Is Toxic
In his post he added a caption and said, "Working 90 hours a week, okay Sure, it might work for founders who are driven by passion and reaping direct rewards, but it’s not okay for employees."
He further took an aim at 'Hustle Culture' and said, "Your job is to meet your needs, not to sacrifice your mental health, family, and personal time. Any founder, preaching 90 hours work week is absolutely absurd, prioritise your life over toxic hustle culture."
This comes at a time when it is being reported that L&T boss S. N. Subrahmanyan, who fired up this debate with his comments draws an annual pay of a whopping Rs 51 crore when the average income of L&T employees is said to be around Rs 9-10 lakh.
