 "What is China's '996' work culture that Narayana Murthy is advocating?")
Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy has once again defended his 72-hour work week remark, comparing it to China's '996' work culture. In a recent interview with Republic TV, Murthy said that no individual, community, or country has ever achieved success without hard work.
But what is the 996 rule and how does it back Murthy's 72-hour work week statement? Let's take a look.
What did Narayana Murthy say?
During the interview, Murthy made some strong comments on India's work culture. He asked people to "get a life first and then worry about work-life balance".
Defending his earlier remark, Murthy said, "Last year, Catamaran senior and middle level staff went to China and they went to tier 1 cities, tier 2 cities and tier 3 cities. They stayed in tier-3-kind of hotels because we wanted to understand the real China. And you know there is a saying there, 9, 9, 6. You know what it means? 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week. And that is 72 hours a week."
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi works 100 hours a week, Murthy called him "a shining example of hard work". He even said that the younger generation should take inspiration from him and work hard to provide opportunities to those less fortunate.
What is China's 996 rule?
China's 996 culture, often glorified by tech tycoons like Jack Ma, is where people work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. However, the culture has resulted in significant burnout and even pushed talent out of the big cities in China.
According to a Bloomberg report published last year, weary of the so-called 996 culture, a growing number of young professionals were willing to trade a fast-paced, high-pressure career in big cities for a slower, more relaxed life in small towns.
China's crackdown on 996 rule
According to the BBC, in 2021, Chinese authorities warned the companies that such "punishing work schedules are illegal". According to China's labour laws, a standard workday is eight hours long, summing up to a maximum of 44 hours a week. Any work beyond that requires extra pay for overtime.
Social media counter Murthy’s remarks with pay comparisons
Several users reacted to Murthy's comments, arguing that pay scales in China are significantly higher for the long hours employees work. One user wrote, "The pay's also according to the 996 rule, not peanuts which you pay in your company."
Another added, "Dear sir, FYI, 996 rule is only applicable in India if you are ready to pay a monthly salary of ₹1–2 lakh to a junior software engineer. In China, the starting SE salary ranges roughly from ¥8,000 to ¥15,000+ (₹93,000 to ₹175,000)."
Murthy's '72-hour' comment gathered backlash
Murthy's earlier comments on the 72-hour work week gathered widespread backlash, especially from the younger generation, with several people accusing him of promoting a toxic work culture. While some of the industry leaders backed Murthy's stance, many others highlighted the importance of work-life balance.