RPG Enterprises chairperson Harsh Goenka has strongly criticised Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairperson SN Subrahmanyan's suggestion that employees should work 90 hours a week. In a tweet, Goenka expressed his disagreement with the idea, stating, "90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept! Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential. Well, that’s my view! #WorkSmartNotSlave."
The remarks come amid widespread backlash against Subrahmanyan’s comments, which surfaced in an undated video. In the clip, the L&T chairperson responded to employee concerns over the company's six-day workweek by saying, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays." He went on to question how employees spent their time off, asking, "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?" He urged employees to spend more time at the office, adding, "Come on, get to the office and start working."
To justify his stance, Subrahmanyan referenced a conversation with a Chinese individual who claimed that Chinese workers clock 90 hours a week, compared to Americans' 50 hours. "Chinese people work 90 hours a week, whereas Americans work only 50 hours a week. 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," he stated.
L&T has since defended Subrahmanyan's comments, emphasising the need for extraordinary effort to achieve extraordinary outcomes. An L&T spokesperson said, "At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India’s infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation."
"The Chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasizing that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward."
The push for longer working hours has drawn comparisons to Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s 2023 suggestion that Indian youths should work 70 hours a week to compete with economies like China. While some supported Murthy’s idea, others criticised it, asserting that success depends on productivity, not merely the number of hours worked.
Billionaire Harsh Mariwala also weighed in on the debate, stating, "Without a doubt, hard work is fundamental to achieving success, but it is not synonymous with the number of hours logged. It's about the excellence and enthusiasm one brings to those hours."