90-Hour Work Week: L&T Chairman’s Remark Sparks Debate; Do You Know How Much He Earns?

New Delhi: Should Sundays be day-offs or 90-hour workweek sans any break be made mandatory for employees? The recent comments of L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocating a 90-hour workweek for employees has led to a debate on social media. Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone is among the first to speak out. She strongly objected to the L&T chairman’s views.

In an Instagram story, Padukone wrote, “Shocking to see people in such senior positions making such statements #mentalhealthmatters.” Her comment resonated widely on social media. This has drawn attention to the mental health consequences due to such long hours of work.

Harsh Goenka, Chairperson of the RPG Group, wrote on X: “90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept! Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential. Well, that’s my view! #WorkSmartNotSlave.”

Subrahmanyan’s remarks went viral as a video from an internal L&T interaction was shared on social media. In the video, Subrahmanyan insisted that employees should work on Sundays. He questioned the need for time off. “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wife stare at your husband? Get to the office and start working,” he said in the video.

“Chinese people work 90 hours a week, while Americans work only 50 hours a week. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week,” he said.

As the company and its chairman continued to face backlash on social media, L&T issued a statement defending Subrahmanyan’s comments. The company emphasised its commitment to nation-building and India’s growth. It asserted that the chairman’s remarks reflected the need for extraordinary efforts to achieve the country’s development goals.

L&T Chairman earns 534.57 times higher than the median salary of his employees: Report

As per HR Katha, his salary is 534.57 times higher than the median salary of L&T employees, which was around ₹9.55 lakh in FY23-24, reported LiveMint.