NR Narayana Murthy: The Debate Over India's 70-Hour Work Week

The question of how many hours a person should work in a week has sparked a debate in India. NR Narayana Murthy, a software billionaire and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's father-in-law, recently stated that young people should be willing to work 70 hours a week to contribute to the country's development. He argued that India's work productivity is low compared to other countries and that improving it is necessary for competitiveness. Murthy's comments received both support and criticism on social media and in newspapers. Some critics highlighted the low starting salaries for engineers in Indian tech companies and the potential negative impact on physical and mental health. Others pointed out that women already work more than 70 hours a week, both at their jobs and in their homes. The discussion on work hours comes at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a re-evaluation of work-life balance globally. Many people found they were more productive working from home, and experts suggest that work-life balance policies result in improved retention, recruitment, and productivity for companies. Despite Indians already working long hours, Murthy's statement stirred controversy, with activists arguing for stricter implementation of labor laws. Some business leaders, however, supported the idea. While India debates longer work hours, other developed countries have experimented with shorter work weeks, such as the four-day work week. Belgium changed laws in 2022 to allow for a four-day work week without salary reduction, and the UK conducted a successful trial with many companies choosing to continue the four-day work week permanently. These experiments have highlighted the benefits for employee well-being and may signal a shift in attitudes towards a shorter work week becoming the norm.