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"Work Smart, Not Slave": Harsh Goenka On L&T Head's 90-Hour Workweek Remark

L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan has sparked a controversy with his comments suggesting employees should work 90 hours a week and even on Sundays.

"Work Smart, Not Slave": Harsh Goenka On L&T Head's 90-Hour Workweek Remark
RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka slammed SN Subrahmanyan on X

Hours after Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocated for 90-hour workweeks and “regretted” not making his employees work on Sundays, RPG Group chief Harsh Goenka responded with a sharp critique.

“90 hours a week?” Mr Goenka wrote on X. “Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty' and make ‘day off' a mythical concept!” he added.

“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. Well, that's my view,” the entrepreneur wrote, adding, “Work smart, not slave.”

Mr Subrahmanyan's remarks have added to the ongoing debate about work-life balance in India's corporate sector. In a video reportedly from an internal meeting, he expressed his controversial views when asked about L&T's six-day workweek. “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,” he said.

He added, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”

The comments drew a backlash, with many accusing Mr Subrahmanyan of advocating an unrealistic and unhealthy work culture. Celebrities, too, have weighed in on the controversy.

Actor Deepika Padukone said, “It's shocking to see people in such senior positions make such remarks.”

As the backlash grew, L&T released a statement attempting to contextualise their chairman's remarks. “We believe this is India's decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realise our shared vision of becoming a developed nation. The Chairman's remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward.”

The clarification only seemed to fan the flames, with Deepika Padukone again slamming the statement, saying, “And they just made it worse.”

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