70-hour workweek: Now Narayana Murthy says 'nobody can demand long hours at work'

Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, who in 2023 ignited the work-life balance debate by advocating for a 70-hour workweek, seems to have climbed down on his highly polarising comments. Speaking at an event on Monday, the 78-year-old said no one can ask people to put in long hours, but it is for everybody to "introspect" and understand the need for it.

CREDIT: BCCL

'I have done it for 40 years'

"I can say that I used to get to the office at 6:30 AM and leave at 8:30 PM, that's a fact. I have done it. So, nobody can say that no, that's wrong. And I have done it for 40-odd years," he said while delivering the annual 'Kilachand Memorial Lecture' at the IMC in Mumbai.

He, however, added that long work hours cannot be forced upon anyone, but people should introspect.

'Nobody can tell you'

¡°These are issues one can introspect on, come to a conclusion, and do whatever they want,¡± Murthy said.

¡°There is nobody who can say you should do it, you should not do it," he added.

Also read: ITC Chairman Sanjiv Puri says 'employees realising their role important than hours at work'

Has Murthy changed his view on work-life balance

While Murthy has not taken a U-turn on his previous comments about youngsters working 70 hours a week for India to become a developed country, his latest remarks suggest a shift in his views when it comes to work-life balance.

CREDIT: BCCL

Earlier, even after coming under heavy criticism, Murthy had refused to take back his words, saying, "I am sorry. I haven¡¯t changed my view. I will take this with me to my grave."

'Will take suggestions form more successful people'

Murthy had even claimed that he would take suggestions only from someone who was more successful than him.

¡°If anyone has achieved greater success than me in their respective field, regardless of whether it is related to mine, I would respect them and ask where I went wrong in making this statement. However, I have not received any negative feedback,¡± he had said.

CREDIT: iStock

While many startup founders and CEOs have said that they agreed with Murthy, others, including health experts, have warned that longer work hours, without proper rest, will result in employee burnout.

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