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Many individuals look out for work-life balance and job satisfaction in today's fast-paced world. In a recent controversial topic about working hours, Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII), emphasized that human productivity cannot stretch over 8-9hours. His remarks came in response to a statement made by SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Infotech advocating for a 90-hour work week for employees and he regrets not being able to make them work on Sundays too.
Human beings can't be productive beyond 8-9 hours. Sometimes, you have to put in those hours, and it is fine, but you can't do that every day. From Monday to Sunday, you can't just be in the office working. That is a bit impractical.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India (SII)
How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working.
SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman, L&T
This comment has prompted humorous reactions online, as well as replies from industrialists. The internet has been flooded with memes and videos.
Gautam Adani an industrialist, earlier said that work-life balance should be a personal decision and not an imposed standard.
Adar Poonawalla also posted on his X account seemingly shading the L&T Chairman's comment.
"Yes @anandmahindra (Anand mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group), even my wife @NPoonawalla (Natasha Poonawalla, Executive Director, Serum Institute of India) thinks i am wonderful, she loves staring at me on Sundays. Quality of work over quantity always. #worklifebalance"
Research shows that working overtime has a significant impact on occupational well-being, quality of life, and the health of employees. [1]
Health issues (including stress, depression, anxiety, heart disease and sleep disturbances)
Fatigue
Less productivity
Work-family conflict [1]
Similarly, Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy supported a 70-hour workweek. However recently he clarified that it should be a “personal choice” not a mandatory expectation and no one should force anyone to work for such long hours.
There is a need for balance in both work and personal life. Addressing this Adar Poonawalla stressed that, hard work alone cannot balance your life; you must have a social life so that you can come back to work refreshed and be productive. Networking and building relationships with people are as crucial as office hours.
In view of this controversy, the Serum CEO added that both Subrahmanyan's and Murthy’s words might not have meant working 365 days a year. "They just meant you have to work hard," he added.
From a worker welfare perspective, the focus on building more positive attitudes in corporate environments to have a work-life balance can benefit employees’ physical and mental health.
References:
Hsu, Y., Bai, C., Yang, C., Huang, Y., Lin, T., & Lin, C. Long Hours’ Effects on Work-Life Balance and Satisfaction. BioMed Research International, 2019, 1–8. Accessed on 26th January, 2025, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1155/2019/5046934
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Dr Disha Merlyn Mathias/MSM)
