Workers insisting on work-life balance are holding India back, says CRED founder Kunal Shah

Kunal Shah, the founder of CRED, has stirred a new wave of discussions regarding work culture in India, echoing a sentiment shared recently by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy on "70-hour-a-week" work culture. Shah's comments come days after the ongoing debate surrounding work-life balance in the country, particularly among IT professionals who hold varying opinions on the matter. Shah argues that the prevailing work-life balance culture is hindering India's progress and economic growth.

In a podcast hosted by Myntra founder Mukesh Bansal, Kunal Shah expressed the belief that pursuing a work-life balance will not lead to significant achievements for India. He asserted that India has embraced western notions of a 'chill life' before reaching developed nation status, Business Today reported. He clarified, "I am not saying it is not a choice you should not make - it is a personal choice. But as a country, we have to go a long way."

Shah's views echo those of Narayana Murthy, who recently encouraged young Indians to put in more effort if they aspire to see India compete with economic giants like China and reach the top positions in terms of GDP. CRED founder also pointed out the extraordinary work culture in China, known as the "9-9-6 culture," involving 9AM to 9PM timing for six days a week. He highlighted the significant progress achieved under this system and emphasized that India, with its ambitions of becoming a 10-20 trillion dollar economy, cannot expect a relaxed work-life balance. Shah also noted that India finds itself in a state of confusion when it comes to defining its work culture.

Murthy's call for enhanced work productivity and longer working hours drew a parallel to the post-World War II efforts in Japan and Germany, both of which witnessed substantial economic growth by adopting rigorous work practices. He suggested that India's youth should commit to working 70 hours a week in order to elevate the country's productivity and competitiveness.

In conversation with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai, Murthy pinpointed India's underwhelming work productivity, ranking among the lowest in the world. The entrepreneur also discussed about other impediments to India's progress, including government corruption and bureaucratic inefficiencies. He emphasized the necessity of minimizing these roadblocks for India to emerge as a global frontrunner.

"We need to be disciplined and improve our work productivity. I think unless we do that, what can poor government do? And every government is as good as the culture of the people. And our culture has to change to that of highly determined, extremely disciplined and extremely hard-working people," said Narayana Murthy. "And that transformation has to come to youngsters because youngsters form a significant majority of our population at this point of time, and they are the ones who can build our country," he added.