Image Source : X Anand Mahindra’s response on 90 hours work week call
Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra group, expressed his opinions on the 90-hour work week debate. Speaking at the National Youth Festival in Delhi, Mahindra said if focus is on the quality of work, one can change the world in 10 hours. He also said that this debate is not about extreme work hours but about the quantity of work. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s call for 90-hour work week sparked outrage on social media.
Anand Mahindra on 90-hour work week call
Responding to a query on the 90-hour work week, Mahindra, while reiterating his respect for Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and others, said, “Let me not get this wrong, of course, but I have to say something. I think this debate is in the wrong direction because this debate is about the quantity of work”.
“My point is we have to focus on the quality of work, not on the quantity of work. So, it’s not about 40 hours, it’s not about 70 hours, it’s not about 90 hours. What output are you doing? Even if it’s 10 hours, you can change the world in 10 hours,” he added.
He also stressed that their is a need to have a mind that is “exposed to holistic thinking, that is open to inputs from around the world” and also the need for people from different backgrounds like engineers and MBAs to study arts and culture to be able to make better decisions. “I think you make better decisions when you have a whole brain, when you are informed about arts, culture, that’s when you make a good decision,” he added.
L and T chairman’s statement
L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan has sparked an online outrage with his comments, asking, “How long can you stare at your wife” while advocating a 90-hour work week and suggesting that employees should even give up Sundays.
Anand Mahindra also kept his opinion on why spending time with the family is important. “If you’re not spending time at home, if you’re not spending time with friends, if you’re not reading, if you don’t have time to reflect, how will you bring the right inputs into making a decision?” he said.
He further gave example of M&M and said, “We have to decide what a customer wants in a car. If we are only in the office all the time, we are not with our families, we are not with other families. How are we going to understand what people want to buy? What kind of car do they want to sit in?”
‘My wife is wonderful; I love staring at her
‘Mahindra also responded to his followers’ queries about why he spends so much time on social media. “I want to tell people I’m on X on social media not because I’m lonely. My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her. I spend more time.
I’m not here to make friends. I’m here because people don’t understand it is an amazing business tool, how in one platform I get feedback from 11 million people,” he said.
Before L&T Chairman, Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy also advocated extreme working hours and advocated 70-hours work week.
(With inputs from PTI)
