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Defending its Chairman S N Subrahmanyan’s remarks on 90-hour work week and making even Sundays a working day, L&T in a statement says the remarks reflect a larger ambition, emphasising that ‘extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort’.
L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan’s comments, circulated in a video online, suggests that employees should prioritise work over home life.
As L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan’s remark on the 90-hour work week has sparked controversy, the company has issued a statement defending its commitment to nation-building and stating that “extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort”.
The chairman’s comments, first circulated in a video on Reddit, suggested that employees should prioritise work over home life, questioning, “How long can you stare at your wife?” Subrahmanyan expressed regret over the inability to mandate Sunday work, stating, “If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays.”
These statements have drawn significant backlash online, mirroring the reaction to recent comments by Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, who suggested a 70-hour workweek for youth. Critics argue that Subrahmanyan’s stance trivializes personal relationships and promotes an unsustainable work culture.
In response, a L&T emphasised its long-standing role in shaping India’s infrastructure and technological landscape. “At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India’s infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation,” an L&T spokesperson stated. The spokesperson further highlighted that, “The Chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort.”
The debate over work-life balance versus economic ambition continues to unfold, raising questions about the long-term implications of such work policies on employee health and organizational productivity.
