While Subrahmanyan, Murthy and Musk push 90-hour, 70-hr & 120-hr workweeks, survey finds employees prefer THIS schedule | Company Business News-OxBig News Network

No shocker, despite a number of prominent business heads pushing for increased working hours for “development”, “innovation” and “growth”, employees themselves are not on board with this idea. Prioritising mental health, stress and work-life-balance in the mix with work.

The 90-hour work week row grabbed headlines after L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocated for working on Saturdays and even Sundays. Despite widespread criticism against the thought, he is not alone.

Infosys Narayana Murthy has long advocated and been trolled for his 70-hour work week push; and now billionaire Elon Musk has joined the ranks by praising DOGE employees for working 120 hours.

What Work Hours Do Employees Want?

In a survey conducted by Venator Search Partners, 68 per cent of the respondent Indian employees said they find long hours demotivating and caused higher attrition rate, and a decisive majority of 84 per cent prefer a 40-50 hour work week. Further only 2 per cent supported a work week exceeding 50 hours. 

Employees can balance their personal and professional commitments well if they have a 40-50 hour work week, the survey results noted.

The survey, which looked at workplace stress, productivity, compensation and the general perspectives of employees, found that unreasonable expectations was cited as the primary reason for stress among 62 per cent respondents, while 28 per cent felt that a bad boss caused stress, and 10 per cent felt longer working hours stressed them out.

No Overtime Pay, Work Hours Used as Measure of Performance

The survey also further showed that a majority of Indian employees — 84 per cent, did not get overtime (OT) extra pay despite working for extended hours.

Further, a solid 80 per cent expressed dislike for measuring performance by the number of work hours, and feel companies should instead prioritise performance metrics centered on outcomes.

Further, they said that employers must consider aligning compensation policies with actual work hours to improve employee satisfaction.

What Do Employees in Mega Cities Think?

In metro cities of Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, 90 per cent of the respondents called 12 hour work days “impractical”. They pointed to extended commuting times required being around two to three hours daily.

Respondents in the big cities felt that employers should take into account the traffic congestions and commuting realities. “While the ideal solution remains elusive, companies should strive to adapt to the evolving demands of the modern workforce. Businesses and employees should reflect on what constitutes a healthy, productive work environment in today’s corporate landscape,” said Deepraditya Datta , Founder Venator Search Partners.

GenZ in Workplace — The Generation Gap A thing?

In answer to the critical question on if generations have a difference in thought with regards to work-life balance, 66 per cent of participants believed that there was no correlation between age and preference for long working hours.

However, 30 per cent felt that baby boomers are more likely to favour extended hours, while 4 per cent thought the same for Gen Z.

The Venator Search Partners Suvey’s findings are not dissimilar from a 2023 Assocham report, which found that 65 per cent of Indian employees believed that extended work hours stifle creativity, and hinder organizational productivity and growth.

A 2022 report by Deloitte India estimated that workplace stress costs the Indian economy an annual $14 billion, underscoring the urgent need for systemic interventions to address these challenges.