Fri Jan 10 07:46:31 UTC 2025: ## L&T Chairman’s 90-Hour Workweek Suggestion Sparks Outrage, Prominent Business Leader Weighs In
**Mumbai, India –** Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s suggestion that employees should work 90-hour weeks has ignited a firestorm of criticism, with prominent business leaders and celebrities weighing in against the controversial statement. Subrahmanyan’s comments, made during an internal meeting and subsequently shared online, included expressing regret that employees weren’t required to work on Sundays. He reportedly stated, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife?”
This sparked immediate backlash, with RPG Group chief Harsh Goenka taking to X (formerly Twitter) to satirically suggest renaming Sunday “Sun-duty” and dismissing the concept of a day off as “mythical.” Goenka emphasized the importance of a work-life balance, stating, “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.”
The controversy has fueled an ongoing debate about work-life balance in India’s corporate sector. Actress Deepika Padukone added her voice to the chorus of condemnation, initially calling Subrahmanyan’s remarks “shocking,” and later criticizing L&T’s attempt to clarify the chairman’s position as making the situation “worse.”
L&T’s statement attempted to contextualize the chairman’s comments, framing them within the broader context of national ambition and the need for “extraordinary effort” to achieve “extraordinary outcomes.” However, this clarification has done little to quell the outrage. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between demanding work cultures and the growing recognition of the importance of employee well-being in India’s corporate landscape.
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