Narayana Murthy’s comment on work hours sparks debate online; here's what he said
Bengaluru: Infosys founder NR Narayan Murthy’s comment that youngsters in India should work at least 70 hours a week in order to compete with developed countries that have made tremendous progress has sparked a massive debate online.
Speaking to former Infosys CEO Mohandas Pai on a podcast about the vision for the next 10, 15 years, the 77-year-old had suggested youngsters work at least 70 hours per week.
He said, "India's work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading, I don't know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say 'this is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week."
While many CEOs, founders, and others in various organisations supported Murthy's view on social media, others disagreed with him. Many slammed Murthy for not being considerate of the work-life balance and the mental health of employees.
Ronnie Screwvala, founder of upGrad and UTV motion pictures wrote, “Boosting productivity isn't just about working longer hours. It's about getting better at what you do - Upskilling, having a positive work environment and fair pay for the work done. Quality of work done > clocking in more hours.”
Suryakant Waghmore, professor of sociology at IIT Bombay asked, “To ensure a dignified life for workers Ambedkar brought the 8-hour workweek in 1942. It’s hardly implemented. Now.. Narayana Murthy wants to formalise 70 hours per week. What else? pure-vegetarianism, endogamy and women as slaves?”
Another user expressed disagreement saying, “With this statement, Mr. Murthy is essentially pushing women out of the workplace. Men are never going to share the load of housekeeping, caregiving and childrearing. With a 70 hour work week, women will have no choice but to drop out.”
On the other hand, Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola Cabs co-founder supported Murthy’s view. He wrote, “Totally agree with Mr Murthy’s views. It’s not our moment to work less and entertain ourselves. Rather it’s our moment to go all in and build in 1 generation what other countries have built over many generations!”
Former CEO of Prasar Bharathi, Shashi Shekhar Vempati also supported Murthy. He said, “Mr Murthy's comments on hard work have a context. As a young Infoscion in the late 1990s, I remember the missionary zeal with which we put in extra hours, not because it was work but because we were literally making history as Indian IT firms became global brands. Quantum leaps of that nature happen when you make it about a larger goal/purpose and believe in it with a zeal and passion where the number of hours become secondary. This is the context with which the remarks by Mr Murthy need to be understood.”
Infosys' Narayana Murthy wants youngsters to toil 70 hours a week for pittence to make billionaires like him more richer. https://t.co/edyWtEi6FP
— Ravi Nair (@t_d_h_nair) October 26, 2023
With this statement, Mr. Murthy is essentially pushing women out of the workplace.
— Natasha Ramarathnam (@nuts2406) October 26, 2023
Men are never going to share the load of housekeeping, caregiving and childrearing. With a 70 hour work week, women will have no choice but to drop out. https://t.co/U9IapSHDZv
Boosting productivity isn't just about working longer hours. It's about getting better at what you do - Upskilling, having a positive work environment and fair pay for the work done.
— Ronnie Screwvala (@RonnieScrewvala) October 26, 2023
Quality of work done > clocking in more hours https://t.co/mbEQA0TriA
To ensure a dignified life for workers Ambedkar brought the 8-hour workweek in 1942. It’s hardly implemented.
— Suryakant Waghmore (@Suryakant_Waghm) October 27, 2023
Now.. Narayana Murthy wants to formalise 70 hours per week per week.
What else?
pure-vegetarianianism, endogamy and women as slaves?
Hypocrisy of Narayana Murthy#Infosys #indu pic.twitter.com/Yol2PxpNJe
— 👑Che_ಕೃಷ್ಣ🇮🇳💛❤️ (@ChekrishnaCk) October 27, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
