<p>Several corporate executives and others have voiced their opinions since Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy ignited a discussion by suggesting that young people in India should work 70 hours a week to help the nation flourish.</p>
<p>According to Murthy, India has among of the lowest rates of labor productivity in the world, and until it increases, the nation would be unable to compete with other countries.<img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-260382″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/theindiaprint.com-update-your-iphone-immediately-as-the-government-issues-a-high-risk-alert-download.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com update your iphone immediately as the government issues a high risk alert download” width=”1127″ height=”633″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/theindiaprint.com-update-your-iphone-immediately-as-the-government-issues-a-high-risk-alert-download.jpg 299w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/theindiaprint.com-update-your-iphone-immediately-as-the-government-issues-a-high-risk-alert-download-150×84.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1127px) 100vw, 1127px” title=”70 Hours Work Debate: Harsh Goenka Says Hybrid Is The Future, Saying 5-Day Office Week Is Dead 24″></p>
<p>Reactions to Murthy’s comments were not uniform. Some agreed with him, arguing that India has to put in more effort to catch up to more industrialized nations. Some criticized his remarks, arguing that expecting individuals to work 70 hours a week is unreasonable and exploitative.</p>
<p>The chairman of RPG Enterprises, Harsh Goenka, offered his thoughts on the current discussion. He wrote on the social networking site X that the five-day workweek is obsolete and that hybrid work is the way of the future.</p>
<p>“There is no longer a 5-day workweek! It’s revolutionary that people are working almost 33 percent of their workplace hours from home. For some individuals, flexibility is equivalent to an 8% pay increase. The ability to be flexible and avoid the daily commute are what we cherish most! Goenka made a post on October 30 on X.</p>
<p>“Working in hybrid forms is the way of the future. Adapting office and remote work to your requirements is the key. It’s about your own desire, your purpose, and your productivity now; it’s not about working fifty or seventy hours a week,” he said.</p>
<p>Find your sweet spot between work and home, embrace the change, and adjust to the new work environment. It’s time to give your professional life the attention it deserves!” he said.</p>
<p>Many online users left comments on his article, many of which agreed with Goenka’s viewpoint.</p>
<p>Here are X users’ responses to the post:</p>
<p>“Conventional management principles and expecting everyone to be in the office 45 hours a week are pointless,” a user remarked. We have witnessed it before, during the Covid pandemic, and currently, with the permanent shift (as you correctly termed it), productivity, throughput, and results are inversely correlated with putting in 45 or 60 hours a week at work. Instead, they are correlated with (as you correctly termed it) putting employees and clients first and minimizing red tape, bureaucracy, and operational overheads to create a win-win situation.</p>
<p>“Regular employees should also be allowed to moonlight if Elon Musk can moonlight across 5 companies and still be effective,” said another X user.</p>
<p>“Since remote working began, productivity has increased significantly,” said a different post. Businesses need to acknowledge this as a win-win strategy. Workers who are productive while working in a hybrid environment and are at ease with it should be allowed to keep doing so.</p>
<p>C P Gurnani, MD and CEO of Tech Mahindra, clarified that Murthy intended to work 40 hours for the firm and 30 hours for oneself, rather than saying to work 70 hours for the company.</p>
<p>“I think that when he (Narayana Murthy) speaks about work, he means not only the firm but also yourself and your nation. Work 40 hours for the firm and 30 hours for yourself is not what he meant when he stated “work 70 hours for the company.” Gurnani wrote on X, “Invest the 10,000 hours that make one a master in one’s subject. Burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field.”</p>
<p>Gurnani said that 70 hours of labor may set you apart as a young person and, in turn, as a nation.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the long-term effects of Murthy’s comments are still unknown. But it has undoubtedly spurred a crucial discussion about Indian workplace productivity and culture.</p>
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