L&T Chief's 90-Hour Workweek Call: Anand Mahindra, Deepika Padukone, And Many Others React. Check Who Said What

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Following an online outrage over L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan's comments suggesting employees should work for 90 hours a week and suggesting employees should even give up Sundays, almost everyone from industrialists, bollywood stars, and politicians chimed in to share a piece of their minds.

Radhika Gupta explored the topic with care in a long post on X titled“Choices, Hard Work and Happiness.”

“Hard work is important, and I was taught and believe that it is the only way to rise. In the competitive workplace, I also believe the person who works harder will rise faster. Great careers, achievements, and companies are the results of a lot of hard work,” Radhika Gupta wrote.

However, she wrote:“Hard work is a choice. Ambition is a choice. And choices have consequences. Not everybody has to aspire to be a CEO or founder with a mega exit. I know many people who have chosen the path of a less demanding career within their field because time off from work matters to them. No judgments.”

Anand Mahindra thought the 90-hour workweek debate was in the wrong direction, as he stressed the need to focus on quality over quantity.

"I have huge respect for Narayana Murthy (founder of Infosys) and others. So let me not get this wrong, of course. But I have to say something, I think this debate is in the wrong direction," reported news agency ANI, quoting Anand Mahindra.

“It's not about 48, 40 hours, it's not about 70 hours, it's not about 90 hours. What output are you doing even if it's 10 hours? You can change the world in 10 hours,” he said.

"My wife is wonderful, I love staring at her," Mahindra quipped at the 'stare at wife' remark.

Harsh Goenka said that work-life balance isn't optional, its essential.

“90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to 'Sun-duty' and make 'day off' a mythical concept! Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That's a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn't optional, it's essential,” said Goenka in a post on X.

He also authored an article in The Economic Times titled:“A happy worker is a productive worker”.

“Happiness in the workplace, corresponding to happiness outside it, has to be a core philosophy - fostering a culture where employees can pursue their passions, spend quality time with their families, and prioritise their mental well-being,” he wrote.

Anupam Mittal skipped the 90-hour workweek debate and instead focused on SNS's 'stare at wife' remark.

“But sir, if husband and wife don't look at each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world,” he said.

The stance of Shark Tank India's judge on the long working hours hasn't been made clear; however, Mittal supported it at the time of the 70-hour workweek debate ignited by Infosys chief Narayana Murthy.

Rajiv Bajaj advocated quality of work over the number of hours.

'Let 90 hours start from the top," said Rajiv Bajaj in an interview with CNBC-TV18, adding,“Number of hours of work doesn't matter, quality of work does. We need a kinder, gentler world more than ever before.”

CPIML (Liberation) MP Raja Ram Singh has written to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and urged him to penalise any violations of laws regarding working hours in offices.

He also requested that the minister initiate measures to strictly enforce laws governing working hours.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra urged SN Subrahmanyan to 'get a life' as she shared Denmark's workweek.

“Danish engineers Larsen & Toubro founded L&T in 1938. Today Denmark ranks 3rd globally in work life balance, 9th in GDP/capita & averages 34 hrs worked/wk. Get a life Mr. Chairman,” she wrote on X.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi hit out on L&T chief saying his remarks reek of“wanting to be new age slave drivers”.

In a post on X, Chaturvedi wrote,“Besides being misogynistic, this statement reeks of wanting to be the new age slave drivers of India.”

Deepika Padukone, a strong advocate for mental health, posted Subrahmanyan's remark on her story with the caption:“Shocking to see people in such senior positions make such statements. #MentalHealthMatters.”

After a nationwide backlash, L&T made an official statement saying“nation-building is at the core" of its mandate and that“the chairman's remarks reflect this larger ambition.”

She shared a screenshot of this statement and said,“And they just made it worse...”

Deepak Shenoy said it is not about the number of hours worked but about the intensity and focus during those hours.

In a post on X, Shenoy said,“I've probably worked 100 hours a week for nearly all my working life, but most of that was as an entrepreneur. You don't have to enforce working hours. People who are motivated will work happily. In any case, most real work happens in 4-5 hours a day, but you don't know when that happens,”

“I still find it difficult to call meetings as work but it takes more energy than what i call work. At some level this working x hours argument is ununderstable to me.”

“When i play, I will play hard. When i work I'll work hard. I suggest you find your rhythm, and I hope you find success in that; major economic rewards will come, sometimes now, sometimes later, to people that don't watch clocks,” Shenoy added.

“The narrative that longer hours automatically translate to greater success is not just outdated-it's dangerous,” Richa Singh said, citing research showing extended working hours lead to burnout, decreased productivity, and serious mental health challenges.

“What's particularly troubling is the dismissive attitude toward work-life balance and personal time, suggesting that time with family is somehow less valuable than time at the office,” she added.

“True leadership in 2025 isn't about extracting maximum hours from employees-it's about creating environments where people can thrive both professionally and personally,” Singh added.

A video of Subrahmanyan calling for staffers to work 90 hours a week if they have“to be on top of the world” has sparked heated debate on social media platforms. The clip re-ignited the work-life balance debate that enveloped Infosys founder Narayan Murthy's calls for a 70-hour work week last year.

“What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife, and how long can the wife stare at the husband? Get to the office and start working If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be happier because I work on Sundays,” the L&T chairman could be heard saying in the now-viral clip.

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