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Amid the debate over 70-hour and 90-hour workweeks sparked by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman S N Subrahmanyan, the Economic Survey 2024-2025 has emphasised the importance of a healthy work culture, good lifestyle and mental well-being to achieve the goals of sustained economic growth.
Citing a study, the survey warns that workweeks exceeding 55 to 60 hours can have serious health consequences for employees. Prolonged deskbound work, it says, is equally detrimental to mental well-being, reinforcing the need for a more measured approach to productivity.
The Economic Survey argues that the ramification of low levels of mental well-being is detrimental, not just to the health of the individual, but to the economy as well. Those who score low levels of mental well-being are unable to work for longer periods as compared to those who score high levels of mental well-being.  "mental health")
The survey further argues that hostile work cultures and excessive hours spent working at the desk can adversely affect mental well-being and ultimately put the brakes on the pace of economic growth.
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Call for a healthy work culture
Suggesting that the experience at working hours has a direct link with the mental well-being of an employee, the survey argues for a healthy work culture. Citing a study conducted by the Sapien Labs Centre for Human Brain and Mind, it says that individuals with the best manager and colleague relationships report a 100-point higher mental well-being score compared to their counterparts working with the worst manager or peer relationships.
Social interaction at the workplace also plays an important role in mental well-being. According to the survey, individuals in fully remote work situations have a mental well-being score lower than counterparts in either fully in-person or hybrid work models, suggesting that social interaction at work is essential to preserve mental well-being.
Focussing on the workload, the survey says those having the best workload are more mentally well-being than their counterparts having the worst workload. Citing a WHO study, the survey says that around $1 trillion of financial loss is annually incurred due to depression and anxiety, significant traits of poor mental well-being.
Lifestyle choices and family situations
The survey also suggests healthy lifestyle choices for better mental well-being. Individuals who rarely consume ultra-processed or packaged junk food have better mental well-being than those who regularly do, the survey says.
Similarly, those who spend more time on social media or are not close to their families have worse mental well-being, according to the survey. It says that if India needs to achieve its economic ambitions, then immediate attention must be given to lifestyle choices that are often made during childhood and youth.
Suggests returning to the roots
The survey argues that mental health issues in children and adolescents are often linked to the overuse of the internet. It highlights Jonathan Haidt’s book ‘The Anxious Generation’, saying, “arrival of the ‘phone-based childhood’ is rewiring the very experience of growing up.”
The document mentions the recent ban on the use of social media by less than 16 years of age in Australia to stress the gravity of the situation. It says that there is an urgent need for school and family-level interventions to encourage healthy pastimes that include meeting with friends, playing outside etc.
The Economic Survey 2024-2025 proposes investing time in building close family bonds will help children move away from the internet. In many ways, returning to our roots may allow us to reach further for the skies in terms of mental health, the survey says.