The discussion on extending working hours has intensified on social media following the endorsement of prominent industry figures, including Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, advocating a work week of 70 to 90 hours

Subrahmanyan’s comment about wanting employees to work 90-hour weeks sparked controversy after he told an employee: “I’m sorry I can’t make you work on Sundays. If I could make you work on Sundays, I’d be more happy. as I myself work on Sundays.” Since then, Subrahmanyan’s comments have gone viral on Reddit and other platforms and he is now being compared to Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy, who had advocated a 70-hour work week a few months ago.

Adding to the discussion, Capitalmind founder and CEO Deepak Shenoy shared his insights on productivity and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, sparking new conversations.

In a post on social media platform X, Shenoy talked about his entrepreneurial journey and revealed that he regularly puts in more than 100 hours a week. Despite this, he stressed that the bulk of productive work typically occurs in just 4-5 hours each day.

Shenoy’s message implies that the key to success lies not in the number of hours worked, but in the intensity and focus during those hours. He also posed a challenge to traditional ideas about fixed working hours, stating that naturally motivated people will put in the necessary effort without being constrained by strict time limits.

Sharing her thoughts on work-life balance and productivity, Shenoy said, “I’ve probably worked 100 hours a week for almost my entire working life, but most of that was as an entrepreneur. No need to enforce working hours. Motivated people will work happily. Most of the real work is done in 4-5 hours a day, but you don’t know when it happens.”

He further added: “I still find it difficult to call meetings work, but it takes more energy than what I call work. On some level, this argument of x hours of work is incomprehensible to me. When I play, I will play hard . When I work, I suggest you find your rhythm, and I hope you will find success, sometimes now, sometimes later, to people who don’t watch their clocks.”

While some industry leaders supported the idea of ​​an 80- to 90-hour work week, some expressed concern about the concept of a 90-hour work week.

RPG Group President Harsh Goenka, in a post on the X platform, stated: “90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a concept Mythical?Working hard and smart is what I believe, but turning life into a perpetual office shift is a recipe for burnout, not work-life balance optional; it is essential. Well, that’s my opinion! #WorkSmartNotSlave.”

Helios Capital founder Samir Arora said, “Yes. In the beginning one has to work harder than others to learn, get noticed and get ahead. In my first job after IIM, I work in Delhi where my schedule was usually from 9 am to around 10 pm and about an hour to travel, I really enjoyed it, but I still looked for a job with more hours of reason”.

“Bottom line: It’s not right to say that the CEO/promoter is working 70 hours because he’s the owner and gets paid a lot more, etc. You have to ask why this person was able to become a CEO or 1st generation promoter or whatever . in the first place. Your choice,” he added.