Dear Mr Narayanmurthy,
I have admired and respected you for decades. You are a real icon of India, having built a hugely successful company which transformed India’s IT sector and paved the way for others to follow. You are a pioneer. But I am writing this open letter to you to strongly disagree with your views on work-life balance and work ethics. Please hear me out.
I understand where you are coming from. For India to grow to its full potential, we need to work hard and give it everything we’ve got. I come from that generation where we worked all hours of the day and night without question. In the media there is no guarantee you will get your day off or be able to take leave when you wish. Our lives were entwined with the news.
Over 23 years in television, I missed numerous birthdays, Diwalis, and other holidays because I was working. When I started as a reporter and anchor, I used to work on the breakfast show, coming in by 4:30am and often staying on well into the late evening because I was shooting a story. But I had no complaints. It was hard work but it was also exciting and something I was passionate about.
Best decision I ever made
However, many years later, it began to catch up with me. I realised there was so much I had missed out on because my life revolved completely around my work. A few years ago, I requested my bosses to switch me to a four day work week. And they agreed. It was the best decision I ever made.
Today, I see young people struggling with a whole new set of challenges. Good jobs are difficult to get. Starting salaries are pathetically low in most industries. Mental health issues are real — they always were but we were conditioned not to really talk about it.
I am so glad young people today are confronting their mental health challenges and seeking help. Which is why I was dismayed to hear you say you don’t believe in work life balance. You expressed your disappointment over India shifting from a 6 day work week to a 5 day one. Respectfully, employees must work hard and give it their all, but they are not slaves.
Essential, not an indulgence
Studies have shown that people with a healthy work life balance are happier and more productive at work. Several countries have shifted to 4 work days a week and found better employee engagement.
A 2019 study by Microsoft in Japan showed a 40 per cent boost in productivity by shifting to a four day work week. You will say India is not Japan or Germany which are developed countries.
That is true. But turning our workforce into slaves will not help them or the country either. Countries like Norway have less than 30 hour work weeks but are far more productive. Longer hours do not translate into better productivity. There is another major factor you have not considered: women. For working women, life does not end with punching out of the office at the end of the day.
Their work lives extend into managing their homes, their children, and extended families. For many women, this is not a choice. Your insistence on a 70 hour work week simply does not account the challenges women face.
A report by the ILO or the International Labour Organisation says that more than 53 per cent of Indian women are outside the workforce because of their responsibilities at home. Things became even worse after the pandemic.
Can you imagine what a 70 hour work week would do to women? Perhaps Sir, you could think of ways of making workplaces more inclusive and flexible for women. For everyone, in fact. Working 70, 80, 100 hours a week may have worked for you. But it is not something to be boast about.
I think work life balance is not a luxury but a necessity. I hope you can find ways of improving our work environments for better productivity rather than focusing on the hours alone.
Yours sincerely,
Nidhi Razdan
