When you reach a certain level where you can influence people and their lives with what you speak, you ought to be extra cautious of what you say.

We Indians have reached a stage where people are dying because of stress and overworking. Some people are taking therapies, and some are giving sessions on managing work-related stress and striking the work-life balance. Family lives are getting impacted big time. Despite all the dedicated efforts to manage work-related stress, a large number of people are finding it difficult to cope, and several new-age diseases are making way.

And there come statements from high-profile figures like Shri Narayan Murthy and SN Subrahmanyan (Chairman of L&T), encouraging people to work longer hours at the workplace rather than at home. 

"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." Subrahmanyan also advocated for a 90-hour workweek.

Narayan Murthy stressed that youth should work for at least 70 hours a week. 

I greatly respect Mr. Murthy for his dedication and intention behind building a company like Infosys, his ethics, and his simple living. Honestly, I don't have much knowledge about Mr. Subrahmanyan. 

Indian Labour Law mandates a 48-hour workweek. Now imagine, with the 48-hour workweek and general style of working, Indians are going through a terrible time with practically nothing like work-life balance and mental and physical diseases. With 70 or 90 hours, where will we land? 

Also, these gentlemen must understand a very basic thing - they created those companies and are responsible for giving salaries to thousands and probably lakhs of employees. There is a difference between being an employer and an employee.

You have a dream to take your company somewhere. You work on it. You can also spend 365 days, 24 hours a day in your office. However, your dream is not your employees' dream. Their dreams and aspirations may differ. An average employee works to make money to provide for his family. FAMILY is the keyword here. 

You wanted to build an empire with whatever intentions; you dedicated your life to it, and your family must have supported it. Your choice, your need. Without your dedication, the company won't grow. Even being a part of several social events and parties was part of your 'office work' as you were networking or raising funds. However, most of the employees are there with their particular skills and jobs to do. They might go beyond their defined roles and working hours if they are passionate about it. But keep in mind that their dream or goal is not the same as your dream or goal. They would want to go back to their home, meet their friends, get married, have children, follow their passion, attend social events, and yes, even stare at their wives, even on Sundays. In fact, due to the work pressure, people are not ‘staring’ enough (read: not spending enough time with each other), leading to troubled married lives. By asking them to work for 70 or 90 hours and even on Sundays, you are asking them to become your slaves and have no life or dreams of their own. Consumerism and industrialization are good, but not at the cost of human lives and stress-induced mentally ill societies.

After speaking something like this, the HR or company representatives work overtime to give a better digestible version or background behind those statements.

Narayan Murty said that he was not asking for 70 hours to be made mandatory, but he has worked like this for several years, so others can too. Sorry, others do not have the same intention as yours to work 70 hours a week. Also, your ecosystem may have supported it. Many others will crumble if they even try to do this. Of course, it is possible. Humans do have the capacity. But everyone is different. You may not have any interests other than thinking about growing your company. Others have. I like writing. My husband likes reading and traveling. People have several friends they love to hang out with. 

What I’m trying to say is that if they had shared these experiences as part of their own success stories, rather than advising or suggesting that others should follow the same path, it would have been received more positively.

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash