'Put in 70 hours a week for maximum productivity': Wakefit founder’s spin to NR Narayana Murthy’s workweek advice

Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy’s suggestion for a 70-hour workweek has attracted widespread criticism from the youth and others. The remark left the internet divided over whether to go for productivity while working for longer hours or to maintain a work-life balance.

Offering a potential solution to this dilemma, a Bengaluru-based furniture startup, Wakefit, has come up with an exciting alternative to Mr Murthy’s suggestion. The startup, in a social media post, has urged all the working bees to pay more attention to rest and relaxation by asking them to sleep for 70 hours every week.

The founder of Wakefit, Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, posted on LinkedIn and shared a funny video stressing upon the need to take rest so that one is able to go through any ups and downs at the workplace easily. 

“We at Wakefit have been following this debate for a while now. With the start of a new financial year and appraisal season in top gear, today seems to be a good time to share our views. Yes, we sincerely believe we should all put in 70 hours every week for maximum productivity,” Ramalingegowda wrote in the post.

Acknowledging the need for productivity at workplaces, Ramalingegowda said that organisations should make 70 hours of sleep a week a necessary bar for growth and development.

The post received several reactions from people, many of whom praised the idea of the importance of sleep, which was highlighted in the advertisement posted.