Addressing the particular row of the 90 hour work week, ITC Ltd Chairman Sanjiv Puri commented We would rather have multifitudes of workers focus on the wider vision of the company than the hours they bill.

Giving an analogy of many workers building a castle, he said, “If you ask a mason what he is doing, he might say he is laying a brick, another might say he is building a wall but some might say he is building a castle. It is that vision that workers should have," he told news agency PTI in an interview.  

Debate On Working Hours For An Entire Week  

Puri’s statement also found support in the political class. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra endorsed ITC’s message on X.  

“Thank you @ITCCorpCom for showing the way – let’s hope your peers wake up,” Moitra wrote on X.

To the question whether it was the case not to put a number to the work hours at ITC, Puri said, “We would not do that.” “Instead we would prefer to enable people to be part of the journey and the ethos and the kind of motivate themselves to do something that is different for the business. That’s the way we conceptualise it.” Work Composition That Is Fluid He remarked that the cigarettes-to-consumer goods conglomerate does not insist on fixed work hours and working from home is part of the arrangement which is broadened to two days a week. “ITC, ”said he, “is not very rigid in working patterns. You can also work from home on two days a week.” “So it’s not so much about, you know, really counting every one’s hours in a day or in a week. It’s really giving people scope, assisting them to harness their capabilities, and then taking stock what targets people have accomplished.” Puri’s remarks are in the context of the row that has been fanned on social media by SN Subrahmanyan. Touted India’s largest engineering and construction firm Larsen & Toubro Ltd's Chairman and Managing Director said workers must be put to work for a minimum of 90 hours within the week and Sunday should not be a rest day.

“I know that he (Subrahmanyan) has been debated a lot, however, such is the philosophy with which you are looking at it,” Puri said. He then moved on to note that inspiring employees through enabling them with the vision and the goal of the company was indeed critical. Vishal khushi ‘Vision, values and vitality are what ITC is all about,’ he added. “So a lot of transition effort goes into ensuring that everybody comprehends the vision and objective of the enterprise. We take a portion of the vision and work towards adding to its accomplishment with which we use our processes to empower, resources, latitude, and authority to act which are different and distinct clear-cut goals for each individual to pursue, these are the major issues we consider,” he said. What L&T Chairman Said? “I regret I am not capable of getting you to work on Sundays," Subrahmanyan had said, in an undated video of his discussion with staff.

“What do you do sitting at home? How long can you keep looking at your wife and how long can the wife look at the husband?" This video which went viral after circulating on social media platforms X and Linkedin invited arguments and discussions around the work-life balance issue.

While Subrahmanyan’s comments created an outburst about the work-life balance in the country, a spokesperson from Larsen & Toubro said last week that comments made by the chairman “are normal and reflect the larger ambition of the company”.

“We think this is India’s decade, and it requires everyone pulling together and working hard to move ahead in realising this common dream of being a developed nation,” the company said in a statement.

Ms Sonica Muraleedharan substance working hours on the docked ship.

L&T’s head of HR for domestic operations- Sonica Muraleedharan- addressed the controversy on LinkedIn. While she posted extensively on the issue, Sonica Muraleedharan felt disheartened about the fact that the words of Subrahmanyan were taken out of context and misconstrued as she said that the comments were made during an internal meeting, but the company has never imposed or even advised to go for a work week of 90 hours.

Criticism From the Business Community The criticism for L&T head comes from a section of the business community where RPG Group Director Harsh Goenka accuses him of ruining march towards success with such long working hours. Comments made by LCEO Subrahmanyan came concurrently with a 70 hours work week recommendation made by Infosys co firm Narayana Murthy bracketed with the wife will run away comments from the Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani where the comment was made where the person spent more than eight hours garding the house. “Would you impose on me what your concepts of work-life balance is and possible people impose their ideas on you?, I for example quoted someone who asked me to spend 4 hours with the family, and was delighted by it, and another 8 hours, and found it joyous as well – that is their work-life balance,” he had remark in the last month. “Aath ghante family ke saath bitayega tho biwi bhaag jaayegi (Wife will leave if one spends eight hours with family),” he had said. The work life balance is a raging debate in China too with the work life balance in China with the so- Numbered culture Ba definition debating the three digits culture of 996 culture were worked round the clock Monday to Saturday.