A viral video of SN Subramanyan, Chairman, L&T asking his employees to work on Sunday, and for 90 hours a week has caused a furore across social media platforms. In the video, which has gone viral on Reddit, Subramanyan can be heard saying: “I regret that I can’t make you work on Sundays. If I could, I would be much happier. I work on Sundays too. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wives? And how long can wives stare at their husbands? Come on, get to the office and start working.”
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Subramanyan was speaking to his employees during an internal meeting. He also justified his stance by comparing working hours to those of Chinese employees. “You know, I was recently speaking with a Chinese gentleman, and he told me, “We can beat America anytime.” Surprised, I asked him why. His reply stunned me: “The Americans work 50 hours a week; we work 90 hours a week.” That answer speaks volumes. To be on top of the world—to create the fastest, biggest, longest, and largest achievements—you’ve got to put in the work. You’ve got to work 90 hours a week,” he added in the video.
These views have sparked a heated debate about the median salary paid to employees and work-life balance. “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. Well, that’s my view,” said Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises on X.
Along similar lines, Sahil Bhadviya adds: “It’s only because of poor labor laws in India that the L&T Chairman has the audacity to say he regrets not being able to make employees work on Sundays. Such a shame. He clearly doesn’t have any personal life and wants others to forgo theirs as well.”
Social media users were also quick to bring in the difference between Subramanyan’s salary as compared to what was paid to L&T employees. “L&T Chairman Subrahmanyan’s salary is 534.57 times the median salary of L&T employees. If I’m paid a 56 crore per annum + all privileges like the L&T chairman, forget Sunday, I’ll invent more days in a week to work,” says Bhaumik Gowande.
A popular influencer EngiNerd commented on the issue saying: “Narayana Murthy wants us to work 70hrs and L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan wants us to work 90hrs a week. That’s almost 30% increase in a year
- Work hours increasing
- Income tax is increasing
- Salary is almost same
- Return on tax is negative
Whole ecosystem, from corporate to politicans is working to make it difficult for salaried class to survive in this country.”
L&T Issues Clarification on Video of L&T Chairman SN Subramanyan
An L&T spokesperson has defended the views of SN Subramanyan, and issued a clarification saying: “The chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward.” However, despite this clarification, social media continues to debate the issue and has been condemning the statements made in the video.
