Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan has drawn widespread criticism online after a video of him advocating for a 90-hour work week, including working on Sundays. In the undated internal address to employees, Subrahmanyan expressed regret about not being able to make employees work Sundays, stating, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays also.”
Subrahmanyan made the remarks while answering a question from an employee on why the company was making the employees work on Saturdays. His comments have reignited debates over work-life balance, which were previously triggered by Infosys Co-Founder Narayana Murthy’s suggestion of a 70-hour work week.
In the video, Subrahmanyan questioned the value of time spent at home, saying, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Come on, get to the office and start working." He also referenced a conversation with a Chinese professional, claiming China’s success over the US was due to their 90-hour work weeks compared to 50-hour work weeks in the US, suggesting that similar work hours were essential for extraordinary outcomes.
The video quickly went viral on Reddit, sparking outrage. Many users criticized Subrahmanyan’s remarks, with one employee commenting, “I work in L&T and had to sit through this entire thing, imagine our horror!”
The Chairman’s remarks were dubbed as misogynistic. Some suggested that Subrahmanyan was emboldened to make such remarks due to poor labour laws in India.
“I mean…first of all why shouldn’t he stare at his wife…and why only on a Sunday!!! its sad and sometimes unbelievable that such educated and people at highest positions of big organisations are not taking mental health and mental rest seriously…and making such misogynistic statements and exposing themselves so openly!! It’s disappointing and scary!!!!” (sic), wrote badminton player Jwala Gutta.
Journalist Nidhi Razdan said, “His comments are problematic not only because he wants to enforce slavery but also because they reflect a deeper misogyny. Does L & T not employ women? The comments also reflect disrespect for a wife or partner. Shameful”
Terming the suggestion of a 90-hour work week as “stupid”, former Rajya Sabha MP Jawahar Sircar said that the Sunday break was “essential” to recharge the batteries.