Thousands of funny memes and outraged social media posts followed in the wake of a viral video of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, wherein he could be seen advocating a 90-hour work week for his employees and suggesting that though he could not force them, but his workmen on their own volition should work on Sundays also. For added effect, Mr Subrahmanyan could be heard saying: “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can wives stare at their husbands? Go to the office and start working.”

After Henry Ford introduced the forty-hour week in 1926, the hundred-hour work week ~ the Indian employers’ ideal ~ went out of fashion, yet industry honchos still pine for the days gone by. Recently, Infosys cofounder Narayana Murthy had called for a 70-hour work week ~ a sentiment echoed by Elon Musk of Tesla, Jack Ma of Ali Baba, and many others. Motivation for the slave-driving instincts of business leaders can be easily understood; Subrahmanyan draws a salary (including benefits) of Rs.51 crore, Musk weighs in at US$56 billion and Jack Ma at US$2 billion. Employees of these companies are not so fortunate; the median wage of L&T employees was a mere Rs.9.55 lakh.

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Till recently, young urban professionals or yuppies, were the envy of Indian youth, because yuppies drew unimaginably high salaries, worked hard, and partied even harder. Their employers offered in-house catering, gyms and places where the employee could relax ~ all provided with the sole, but hidden, aim of making the employee spend all his waking hours in the company’s premises. Consultancy firms, private equity firms, investment banks, law firms ~ all were guilty of promoting this brand of corporate culture. Recently, the tragic death of a brilliant and talented young woman, through overwork and work-related tensions, focussed an unforgiving spotlight on the fault lines of corporate culture ~ whatever the employee did was not enough, the boss always wanted more.

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Employees had to make a Faustian bargain; in lieu of salary, employees had to sell their body and soul to the company; targets assigned were not difficult, but impossible, with yesterday being the deadline for most tasks. Work-life balance was seldom mentioned, and almost........

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