'I Regret Not Being Able To Make You Work On Sundays': L&T Boss On Work-Life Balance

In a now-viral statement, Subrahmanyan provocatively asked employees, "How long can you stare at your wife?" encouraging them to spend less time at home and more at the office

In the Reddit post's comment section, some users questioned Subrahmanyan’s understanding of work-life balance, while others criticized the broader culture of overwork

Source : LTIMindtree

L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan's suggestion to the employees regarding working hours has sparked a major controversy online. In a video shared on the social media platform, Reddit Subrahmanyan can be seen proposing that employees should work 90 hours a week and possibly forgo Sundays as well.

In a now-viral statement, Subrahmanyan provocatively asked employees, "How long can you stare at your wife?" encouraging them to spend less time at home and more at the office. Subrahmanyan made these comments during an employee interaction when he was asked about L&T's policy of a six-day workweek.

In response to a question about why employees are expected to work on Saturdays, Subrahmanyan expressed regret that he couldn't make Sundays a working day too. In a video circulating on Reddit, he said, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays."

L&T Chairman says “ he regrets he’s not able to make us work on Sunday and Sunday’s, 90hrs a week” in a response to his employee remarks
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Subrahmanyan further questioned employees about what they do while at home, saying, "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?" He urged them to leave their homes and get back to the office to work.

To support his stance, Subrahmanyan shared a conversation he had with a Chinese individual, who claimed that China could surpass the United States because Chinese workers put in 90 hours a week, compared to the 50 hours worked by Americans.

"So that’s the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week. Get going, guys. Come on," he added.

The video, which first appeared on Reddit, has since gone viral, drawing significant criticism from the internet users. Many found Subrahmanyan’s comments inappropriate, comparing them to those made by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy last year. Murthy had suggested that young Indians work 70 hours a week to help build the nation, a statement that also sparked widespread backlash.

In the Reddit post's comment section, some users questioned Subrahmanyan’s understanding of work-life balance, while others criticized the broader culture of overwork. Many felt his remarks undermined employees' personal lives, with the comment about "staring at your wife" drawing particularly harsh responses.

“So unfortunate, we have such business leaders! I think we must call them "leaders in baby diapers" I had a few close friends who worked at L&T Madras. About 10 years ago. Going by what they said about the work culture, I felt it was like an adults' kindergarten,” one of the Reddit users wrote.

Another user wrote, “Employees would be worn out if working everyday. Weekends are for to get refreshed and try some other things than these regular work. Sometimes employees do work on weekends based on work demand and if it is interesting, but it should not be a norm that every weekend employees need to work. Otherwise there will be no motivation in workplace and simply slogging extra hours.”