Narayana Murthy’s 70-Hour Work Advice for People Below 30: Ex-Infosys CFO Cites Data

Amid a heated debate surrounding Narayan Murthy’s controversial endorsement of a 70-hour work week, former Infosys CFO, TV Mohandas Pai, defended Murthy’s advice by citing data on the average working hours in India, which stood at 61.6 hours per week. Pai emphasized that Murthy’s recommendation was primarily directed at individuals below 30 and underscored the necessity of hard work for prosperity. The data, sourced from the Time Use Survey conducted by the Indian government in 2019, revealed that Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded the highest average working hours at 78.6 hours per week, surpassing Murthy’s proposed limit.

In a podcast hosted by Mohandas Pai, Narayana Murthy highlighted the imperative need for India to enhance its productivity, expressing concerns about the country’s low work productivity and bureaucratic inefficiencies. He urged Indian youth to dedicate 70 hours per week to work, drawing parallels with the post-World War II practices of countries like Germany and Japan.

However, Murthy’s statement triggered substantial criticism on social media, particularly with regards to Infosys’ entry-level salaries remaining stagnant over the years and concerns over the health implications of prolonged working hours. Moreover, there was a fervent debate surrounding Indian work culture, often likened to ‘sweatshops’ in some companies.

Adding to the discourse, Bengaluru-based cardiologist Dr Krishnamurthy underscored the potential health hazards of adhering to a 70-hour work week, pointing out the detrimental effects on individuals’ social lives, family time, and opportunities for exercise. He associated the long work hours with the rise in the number of heart attacks among young people, prompting further inquiries into the consequences of such demanding work expectations.

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