Capgemini CEO reignites work-life balance debate with 47.5-hour work week comment

IT services company Capgemini India's chief executive Ashwin Yardi has entered the work-life discussion, suggesting a 47.5-hour work week. This is a diametrically opposing view to that of Infosys cofounder N R Narayana Murthy, who suggested a 70-hour week for employees, kickstarting a raging debate on the working environment in corporate India.

Speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) in Mumbai, Yardi said, "Forty-seven and half hours. We have about nine hours a day and five days a week," responding to a question on the ideal time to be put in by an employee per 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," he added.


Controversial opinion?

This comment comes against the backdrop of more controversial opinions aired by Yardi's peers at larger IT firms. Industry leader and Infosys cofounder Murthy pitched for a 70-hour, six-day work week. He also stated that he regretted shifting from a six-day to a five-day workweek back in 1986.

Murthy said working long hours, as he did for nearly 40 years of his professional life, is essential to achieving success. To address the backlash his statements caused, Murthy tried to add that work-life balance is also equally important.

Months later, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) chairman S N Subrahmanyan added fuel to the fire and called for a 90-hour work week. In a viral video, when asked about mandatory Saturday work at L&T, Subrahmanyan had said, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays also."

CP Gurnani, former chief executive officer (CEO) of Tech Mahindra, had supported Murthy's view, saying that 70 hours doesn't need to only be for professional development. "I believe when he talks of work, it's not limited to the company.. it extends to your self and to your country.. He hasn't said work 70 hours for the company - work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself," he said in a post on X.

Wipro executive chairman Rishad Premji weighed in, highlighting the importance of work-life balance while acknowledging that it remains a “controversial subject.”

Many startup founders also weighed in on the debate.

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal supported a 70-hour work week, emphasising his belief that such intensive work hours are essential for fostering national economic growth, despite facing criticism on social media.

Founders like Chaitanya Ramalingegowda of Wakefit and Mayank Kumar of Upgrad described workweeks that regularly exceed 70 hours. They argued that the excitement of problem-solving and the promise of wealth creation drive such commitments.

Namita Thapar, executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, and Shark Tank judge, on the other hand, offered a starkly different view. “This is a crock of bull****. Pardon my language. I completely disagree,” Thapar said.