Namita Thapar Sparks Debate Over Narayana Murthy’s “70-Hour Workweek” Proposal
Two famous Indian businessmen and the Sharks of the popular show Shark Tank have recalled opposing views on the long-standing issue of work-life balance overwork culture. Namita Thapar, CEO of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, shows their strongest disagreement with Shaadi.com’s founder, Anupam Mittal, during a lively event discussion with Humans of Bombay. This disagreement raises wider questions in the community about how to balance aim with employee emotion, health, and well-being.
This topic is a result of recent comments by Infosys’s Narayana Murthy. He called for young Indians, in an effort to improve India’s competitiveness on the global stage, to work longer hours. Anupam Mittal voiced his support for the remarks.
Mittal stated during an interview that “you will never achieve anything extraordinary in your life by counting how many hours you have worked.” Mittal highlighted that it is sometimes necessary to go the extra mile and work beyond what’s expected of you.
Namita Thapar, however, strongly disagreed and marked the idea “a crack bullsht.” Thapar said that although entrepreneurs and top leaders may have financial incentives to justify long hours, this logic shouldn’t apply to workers without these incentives.
My accountant gets paid today. Why should he work those long hours if he doesn’t get the same benefits as I do? Thapar explained that if he did, he would suffer from severe mental and physical health problems.
Furthermore, she warned about the negative impact on society of a glorifying culture of extreme work. For God’s sake, don’t marry and have kids if you plan to be an absent father or mother. She said, “Spare the next generation the mental issues and misery caused by absent parents.”
The heated discussion touched upon the tension that exists between the desire for success and fair work practices.
The argument asks whether seeking excellence is worth the personal and social costs. India’s young people are already struggling with increasingly competitive workplaces. Murthy’s request for more hours and Thapar’s and Mittal’s differing opinions raise the issue of how to balance productivity and quality of life in the modern workforce.
