N R Narayana Murthy, one of India’s greatest Entrepreneurs and highly respected corporate voices, sent the nation into an interesting debate. The Indian Youth should work 70 hours a week for nation building, he opined, thus pushing the Indian intellectual capacities to delve into the subject. The take on the matter was interesting with some supporting Mr Murthy’s views, some voicing their concerns, some toeing the middle path and a few dead against it.
Mr Murthy : A True Nation Builder
There is no doubt that Mr Narayana Murthy has played his part to perfection in nation building. He was a first time Entrepreneur, with a great vision, an unflinching belief in his abilities and a missionary zeal to build Infosys. Years and years of hard labour, eventually lead to an internationally acclaimed IT behemoth. The institution established by Mr Murthy has withstood the test of time and still continues to live strong. Infosys initiated a revolution in the country in software development, the use of technology in businesses and daily life, software exports and to top it all massive employment generation. Just imagine how many man hours Mr Murthy and his team would have put in to create this towering edifice. Hence whatever may have been the context of his 70 hours a week statement, this view of his should always be seen in the light of what Mr Murthy has practised himself and achieved.
A Bit Of History
The Japanese resurgence after the catastrophic fallout of World War II has been well documented, as to how that generation in Japan worked extremely hard, putting in lengthy hours to rebuild a battered country. The commitment to the cause of rebuilding Japan was paramount in their lives. The results have been amazing with Japan becoming one of the World’s finest developed nations. The same may also be spoken about Germany post the War and also of Singapore.
The Gist of Views
As I mentioned earlie,r the opinions expressed by people were diverse. Focus on improving productivity rather than putting more man hours was a strong argument put forth. Taking a cue from the proposed 4 day week in a few countries in the west a good work life balance was also an important issue when it came to working long hours. Some health experts even sighted the growing cases of young age fatalities to early burnout and stress apparently caused by rigorous working schedules.
On the other side of the argument were views sceptical of the west. in a way disapproving their proposed inclination towards reduced working hours, thus advocating full six day weeks and more man hours to be applied to work so that we could have desired results in a short span of time.
My Opinion
In my opinion , the question is not of working 70 hours a week, it is more of being focused on the job at hand, display unwavering commitment to the objectives, keep persevering to the fullest, be productive and efficient and do not take a step back unless and until the goal is achieved. The use of available technology to be made to the fullest so that our efforts remain high yielding. Therefore, it may be more prudent to measure productivity, efficiency and yield rather than the number of working hours.
As far as work life balance is concerned, I have not come across instances of people losing their lives because of hardwork or stretched working hours. One has to take care of oneself, particularly when it comes to eating habits and lifestyle. Healthy consumption and an effort to be a bit more active rather than hopelessly sedentary, will lead to a better condition of the body. The need to create positive and happy working environments to reduce mental stress is a vital component of corporate conduct too.
The 70 hour week is not as such a vexed issue. Whatever may be the hours of work, there has to be one common objective ‘ Nation Building ‘.
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A new debate but raises important issues.
70 hours or more of working hours may or may not always ensure the ideal productive scenario. There are so many other contributing or negating factors which need to be taken cognizance before laying down any benchmarks. But yes as a thumb rule Murthy has opined from his own experience and we need to understand that and give him due credit for his objective and aspiration.