Capgemini India CEO Yardi Shares Fresh Views On The 90-Hour Work Week Debate, Here's What He Said

Moving away from the norm, Capgemini India’s CEO, Ashwin Yardi, on Tuesday expressed his support for limiting working hours for employees and said that they should work for 47.5 hours per week.

The statement from Yardi provides a different perspective to the situation wherein corporate employers are taking the stand for preserving the work-life balance for their employees.

Source : X/@CapgeminiIndia

Working hours and the key to maintaining the work-life balance has been a hot topic in the recent years. While employers have advocated for longer working hours to help achieve success, employees have countered with the need to prioritise mental health and family life.

Moving away from the norm, Capgemini India’s CEO, Ashwin Yardi, on Tuesday expressed his support for limiting working hours for employees and said that they should work for 47.5 hours per week.

Speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) in Mumbai, the corporate executive made his stance clear on the work-life balance debate and even said that employees should not be disturbed with e-mails on weekends, reported PTI.

Regarding the ideal time every employee should put in at their work, Yardi said, “Forty seven and half hours. We have about nine hours a day and five days a week. My guiding principle for the last four years is don't send an e-mail on a weekend even if it is an escalation unless you know you can solve it on a weekend.”

However, the executive acknowledged that sometimes he works on weekends also, he said he tries to avoid sending e-mails to his staff during the days as it is pointless to make it a problem for the employee knowing well that the work cannot be completed on a weekend.

Speaking at the same event, Nasscom Chair, Sindhu Gangadharan, said that work should not take priority over outcomes. Echoing his agreement, Marico CEO, Saugata Gupta said that he does send e-mails at 11 PM. 

Narayana Murthy Supports 70-Hour Work Week

Notably, the prominent voices in the IT industry such as Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan have in the past expressed the need for employees to put in longer hours at work. While the Infosys leader said that individuals should pitch in for a 70-hour work week, the L&T executive took it a step further and called for a 90-hour work week.

The statement from Yardi provides a different perspective to the situation wherein corporate employers are taking the stand for preserving the work-life balance for their employees.