L&T Chairman's 90-hour work remark triggers responses from CEOs like Adar Poonawalla, Anand Mahindra and more

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, has agreed with Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra on the necessity of "work-life balance". Poonawalla wrote, "Even my wife loves staring at me on Sundays." His newest statement on X (previously Twitter) comes just days after Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advised that staff work 90 hours per week and skip Sundays. Several industrialists, Bollywood stars, and politicians responded to his statement.

Yes @anandmahindra, even my wife @NPoonawalla thinks i am wonderful, she loves staring at me on Sundays. Quality of work over quantity always. #worklifebalance pic.twitter.com/5Lr1IjOB6r

¡ª Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) January 12, 2025

Anand Mahindra joins the debate

Poonawalla agreed with Anand Mahindra, Mahindra Group Chairman and an enthusiastic social media user, who stated, "I¡¯m on social media not because I¡¯m lonely. My wife is wonderful, I love staring at her. I¡¯m here because people don¡¯t understand it is an amazing business tool."

Mahindra's statement, which came in answer to a question at an event, was interpreted as a dig at L&T Chairman. S H Subramanyan, while outlining his plan for making the most of a Sunday, questioned, "How long can you stare at your wife?" and "What do you do while sitting at home?"

Here's how some other CEOs responded

Previously, RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka stated that work-life balance is not optional, but rather fundamental.

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.¡­ pic.twitter.com/P5MwlWjfrk

¡ª Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) January 9, 2025

¡°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," Goenka wrote on X.

In the latest post, Goenka acknowledged the work L&T has been doing in the country and wrote, "L&T has been at the forefront of building the new India, delivering world-class infrastructure and shaping our nation¡¯s future with unwavering dedication. Let¡¯s not let isolated controversies overshadow the immense contributions of this iconic organization. Time to move on!"

Rajiv Bajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto, said, ¡°Let 90 hours start from the top. Number of hours of work doesn¡¯t matter, quality of work does. We need a kinder, gentler world more than ever before."

Anupam Mittal, founder of Shaadi.com, reacted to Subrahmanyan¡¯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.

But sir, if husband and wife don¡¯t look at each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world?

¡ª Anupam Mittal (@AnupamMittal) January 11, 2025

Also read: L&T chairman regrets he can't make employees work on Sundays: 'What do you do sitting at home?'

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