Seventy hours per week. This is what is on Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy's mind.
In an interview, Murthy today opined that youngsters should work 70 hours a week if India wants to be competitive in the fast-changing world. As per him, India will have to outcompete China with the help of youngsters who put in 10-11 hours of work every day.
This is the second time that Murthy has formulated the prescription. Speaking to the Economic Times in 2020, Murthy observed, "We should take a pledge that we will work ten hours a day, six days a week - as against 40 hours a week - for the next 2-3 years so that we can fast-track and grow the economy much faster."
Murthy's comments have not gone down well with corporate employees, young graduates and others. For one, the pay is not proportionate in India. If someone has to work 70 hours a week, then the pay has to be commensurate. "Pay them as per international standards and certainly they will work as required," wrote Anil Nautiyal. Another Twitter user felt that youngsters should work 70 hours but for themselves. "Not for any blood-leeching companies. For such companies even 40 hours a week is a lot," he wrote.
The salaries for freshers at Infosys and a few other IT companies are said to be stuck in a time warp. They have remained at the same level for the past 10-15 years. That's because of the supply glut of young graduates in the market.
