Infosys founder Narayana Murthy is facing strong criticism from thousands of tech professionals after suggesting extremely long working hours for India.
He recently spoke in favour of employees working from 9 in the morning to 9 at night for six days a week. He also pointed to China as an example. This caused confusion because China’s legal work standards are very different from what Murthy claimed.
China legally allows only 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week with at least one rest day. Overtime must be paid at higher rates and it cannot exceed 36 hours per month.
Even with these rules many companies in China break the law and follow the 996 culture where employees work 72 hours a week. Murthy’s suggestion reflects this illegal culture rather than the official regulations.
If India adopts such long hours it may harm the health of tech employees.
Reports from China say that long work stress affects family life and even contributes to low birth rates and reduced sperm health in men. Similar concerns could arise in India if extreme schedules become normal.
Apart from that many are asking how the next generation will get job opportunities if existing employees work twelve hours a day. Critics argue that such long hours reduce the need to hire more people.
Many are questioning why Narayana Murthy is giving statements that sound like those of a business dictator and social media reactions show strong disagreement with his views.
