New Delhi. Some people have a 5-day work week in their office, which means they get two days off in a week. Some companies have 6 days. People who have to spend 6 days of the week in the office feel that those who work for 5 days have fun. People who work for 5 days also agree with this. But the country's well-known personality Narayan Murthy does not believe in working for 5 days. He wants the young workforce to work for more days and longer hours in a week. Narayan Murthy has given a recent statement on this issue, which has again fueled the debate on work-life balance.

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has once again said that he does not believe in anything like work-life balance. Speaking at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit, Narayana Murthy said that in 1986, when we (India) shifted from 6 days of work to 5 days of work, he was very disappointed. Speaking at the same event, he said that when the country's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working 100 hours a week, then whatever is happening around us, we can appreciate it only through our work.

Keep the challenges in mind, not the working hours.
It is worth noting that last year (2023), Narayan Murthy advocated working 70 hours a week. In a podcast, he said that to compete with China and other countries, the youth of the country should work more and increase productivity. There was a lot of discussion on that statement of the Infosys founder. Some people from the industry supported him, while some people opposed him. Discussions on social media were also divided into two factions.

In a recent program, when asked about his views on work-life balance in India, Narayana Murthy spoke about how KV Kamath, independent director and non-executive chairman of Jio Financial Services, once said that India is a poor and developing country with a lot of challenges that need to be addressed rather than worrying about work-life balance.

Murthy said, “There is no alternative to hard work in India. If you are smart, you have to work very hard. I am proud of myself for working hard all my life... so I am sorry that I have not changed my attitude towards work. I will take this idea with me.”

He further said that India's growth was based on sacrifice and effort rather than comfort and relaxation and without hard work and long hours, the country would struggle to keep up with its competitors. Speaking about his own work ethic, Narayana Murthy said that he used to work 14 hours a day, and devoted 6 and a half days a week to his professional commitments.