The chairman of a large conglomerate has ignited debate on social media for advocating a 90-hour work week for employees, that includes Sunday.
Larsen & Toubro boss S N Subrahmanyan reportedly made the comment during an internal meeting.
An employee asked Subrahmanyan about L&T's six-day workweek policy and the chairman replied, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest,"
He doubled down on his comments by saying "Chinese people [work] 90 hours a week."
The video was posted on NDTV Profit's YouTube channel.
After the video became public, an L&T spokesperson released a statement to Times of India.
"At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India's infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. We believe this is India's decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation. The Chairman's remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasizing that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward."
Subrahmanyan, who has worked for L&T since 1984, had a unique reason for wanting employees to spend more time in the office.
"If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays also," he said.
Subrahmanyan's comments echoed the sentiments of Infosys co-founder, Narayana Murthy, who called for a 70-hour work week.
His recent statements have left people divided on the Internet with critics trolling his comments about toxic work culture with satirical memes on X.
A post by Umdar Tamker, which was viewed more than 129,000 times, received 662 comments and 4,000 likes.
Narayana Murthy : Work 70 hours a week !!
— UmdarTamker (@UmdarTamker) January 9, 2025
L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan : Work 90 hours a week.#SNSubrahmanyan pic.twitter.com/TZIoirobKs
A post by Ashish Chaturvedi on X, slyly observed that the chairman's salary, shown in a screenshot of his earnings data, was the motivation behind a 90-hour work week.
Source of motivation to work 90 hours/week. pic.twitter.com/wCkZVnQZpn
— Ashish Chaturvedi (@AshishZBiz) January 9, 2025
On Reddit the conversation spurred a lengthy discussion in the group, Indiasocial, a "casual corner for Indians" with over 1.3 million members.
In a thread titled, L&T CMD and work life balance, commenters shared their comments about Subrahmanyan's comments.
A comment by a user named j-rockk07 said, "Another CEO promoting slavery shamelessly."
Comment
byu/Flat_Fun3806 from discussion
inindiasocial
User ChaudharyPS spoke about L&T policy and pay for employees.
Comment
byu/Flat_Fun3806 from discussion
inindiasocial
Another user named aatma-rama questioned L&T's current six-day workweek.
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byu/Flat_Fun3806 from discussion
inindiasocial
The thread has over 300 comments and over 900 upvotes.
