Narayana Murthy’s suggestion of 70-hour work week draws flak across board 

Narayana Murthy's suggestion of 70-hr work week for India's development draws flak from techies, HR professionals, trade unions. It is seen as exploitation, illegal, and would lead to mass exodus & high attrition. Certain sectors have 70-hr work weeks, but with high attrition. Gig workers don't even have defined work-hour rules, often working over 12 hrs/day.

Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy’s suggestion that the youth of the country should volunteer to work 70 hours a week for India’s development has drawn flak from across the board — from software engineers and human resource professionals in the information technology (IT) industry to trade unions.

“It is only a thinly veiled endorsement of more inhuman exploitation of the Indian working class. Forcing employees to work longer hours would not only lead to physical and mental exhaustion but also infringe upon their fundamental rights,” said Sooraj Nidiyanga, general secretary, Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union. 

HR professionals think that such a move could, in fact, prove counterproductive. B.S. Murthy, CEO of HumanCapital and an HR analyst, said it was disheartening to know the Indian workforce efforts were still measured in hours and not in terms of smart work done.

“In the era of ChatGPT, where a host of tools are available to enhance your personal and work productivity, what Mr. Narayana Murthy has said is interpreted as slavery in today’s career context,” Mr. B.S. Murthy said.

“If 70 hours working was that beneficial, I wonder why Infosys didn’t introduce it during Mr. Narayana Murthy’s time. If the 70-hour regime is introduced, there will be a mass exodus of people and attrition will hit the roof,” argued Satish Sadasivan, a senior project manager with an MNC in Bengaluru.

“To clock 70 hours of working every week, one has to put in 11.66 hours a day for six days in a week or 10 hours every day. Such a crazy work schedule leaves no room for personal life or family well-being. It is easy for retired people who sit on tonnes of money to make such unviable suggestions,” said Aruna Lal, a city-based software engineer. 

However, 70-hour work weeks are not entirely uncommon in certain sectors. Kamal Karanth, co-founder, Xpheno, a specialist staffing company, and an HR analyst, said that irrespective of industries, the viability of 70 work-hour weeks depends on the stretch hours being paid or unpaid for. “We know in India we don’t pay for stretch hours amongst the knowledge workers. Unpaid stretch hours are only possible as a personal choice of a few outlier units among large organisations,” he said.