L&T chief wants employees to work on Sundays, Reignite ‘work hours’ debate

L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan recently sparked attention with his comments on work-life balance, suggesting employees should work 90-hour weeks and even give up Sundays. Subrahmanyan’s comments came during an employee interaction where he was questioned about L&T's six-day workweek policy.

A video of his remarks, reportedly from an internal interaction, surfaced on Reddit, drawing criticism on the platform. In the video, Subrahmanyan said, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays also.”

Subrahmanyan then questioned what employees gained from taking time off at home. He said, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”

The L&T chief further shared an anecdote to justify his stance. He spoke of a conversation with a Chinese person who said that China could surpass the US because of the country's strong work ethic. According to Mr Subrahmanyan, the Chinese person said, “Chinese people work 90 hours a week, while Americans work only 50 hours a week.” Drawing a parallel, Mr Subrahmanyan encouraged L&T employees to follow a similar work regimen.

"So that’s the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week. Get going, guys. Come on," Subrahmanyan said in the undated video.

The video, which was first shared on Reddit, has gone viral, drawing criticism from netizens. Many users found Subrahmanyan’s comments inappropriate and compared them to the remarks made by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy last year. Murthy had suggested that young Indians should work 70 hours a week to help build the nation, which also faced widespread backlash.

Users also questioned why CEOs, who are highly paid and have different job pressures, expect the same level of commitment from lower-paid employees. “Why don't companies offer different types of working hours? What if a company had different options? 40 hours a week, 30 hours a week, 50 hours a week, 70 hours a week. More pay for more hours?” asked a user.

Subrahmanyan's comments come at a time when mental health and work-life balance have become an important part of the discussion between employers and employees. In July 2024, the death of a 26-year-old Ernst & Young (EY) consultant brought attention to issues concerning work culture and job-related stress.