70, 90, 120 and counting: The evolving debate on ideal work hours

Leading voices from the world of business have expressed their opinions on how many hours people should work, but the debate over the work week remains complicated

How long should a work week be? What are those magic hours that employees should clock every week to give their best: 70, 90, 120? Should those hours be over and above the work people bring home, the time spent on which doesn’t get accounted for?

  Ask those who are at the centre of this debate but have little say in the matter, and they throw in their hands in exasperation. Their refrain is: We are already working those many hours, sometimes more.

  Ajay Patil (name changed on request), who has been working in the information technology services sector for 25 years, said he started his day at 9:30 am, and officially, it ended at 6:30 pm. “But never in so many years has that happened,” he said. “Anyone working in the IT services industry puts in at least 10 hours in the office every day. For mid-level managers or people on projects with deadlines, it gets extended further.”

  Telling numbers 

  The data from the International Labour Organisation shows that India is among the most overworked nations in the world, with 51 per cent of its workforce clocking more than 49 hours per week. This places India second only to Bhutan, where 61 per cent of workers exceed the 49-hour threshold.

  The average Indian works 46.7 hours per week, surpassing even China’s 46.1 hours. In some sectors, the numbers are even more staggering. The data from workforce and skilling solutions firm CIEL HR Services indicates that employees in consulting and finance often face longer hours, with weekly averages hovering 46-49 hours. 

  Not everyone believes there is a positive correlation between productivity and the hours at work.

  “In today’s world, technology has significantly enhanced workplace efficiency, allowing employees to focus more on strategic and creative tasks rather than simply clocking long hours,” said Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director and CEO of CIEL HR Services. Productivity and innovation have become key drivers of business growth, making the quality of work far more critical than the number of hours spent, he added.

  Work-life imbalance

  A mid-level consultant in southern India highlights the intense work culture at a Big Four firm, where 70-hour workweeks are standard. Employees face pressure from managers, who are themselves overworked. When the consultant confronted his manager about the workload, the manager’s candid admission of his own stress silenced further discussion.

  Work culture at the Big Four came under scrutiny last year after the death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian, a chartered accountant at SR Batliboi (an EY Global member firm). Her family alleged that work-related pressure contributed to her untimely demise just four months after she joined the firm.

  This issue extends across sectors. A top executive with more than two decades of experience in one of India’s leading IT companies said: “I could never tell bosses that a particular task needed more time or that something was beyond my capability. Until recently, I used to work extra hours to get everything done.”

  He added, “When global offices are sleeping, we are at work. Global majors see India as back offices and keep dumping work.”

An executive at a precision engineering company said that for him, a 10-hour workday was standard on paper. “I’m contracted to log 50 hours in a five-day week, but my manager expects 60, which means another 10 hours over the weekend.”

  An Indian airport operator employee describes a toxic workplace culture where presence trumps productivity. Employees are expected to remain in the office until their manager leaves, regardless of whether they have finished their work, he said.

  The pandemic’s double-edged sword

  The pandemic ushered in flexible work arrangements, but the blurred boundaries between work and personal life have proven to be a mixed blessing.

  “Before Covid, people worked on office systems. Now, everyone has a laptop, which has complicated things,” said an employee at a top IT firm. “Even young mothers are forced to work late into the night,” the person said, adding that companies are struggling to retain women employees.

  Patil echoes this sentiment, stating: “Work-from-home is the worst scenario. When I go to the office, there’s a clear end to the day. But at home, the employer expects you to be available 24x7.” 

Jeevan Varghese, chief financial officer of private equity firm Taurus India, highlights the mental health toll: “Post-Covid, hybrid work environments have become common. But without proper time management, employees face serious mental-and social-health issues.”

  Choosing the grind

  Despite the growing debate over work-life balance, some executives willingly put in extra hours, viewing it as a pathway to better rewards.

  “The choice of work-life balance and the rewards that follow is individualistic and personal,” said Jaideep Kewalramani, chief operating officer and head of Employability Business at TeamLease Edtech.

  An employee at a steel firm agrees, saying, “It’s a given at my level that I’ll have to work on weekends or even during leave. But I’m compensated well, and it’s a choice I’ve made.”

  Sarika Murthy (name changed on request), who has worked with multi-national companies like Oracle, Microsoft, and IBM, added: “Long hours is a given in Indian IT firms. During deal closings, on days I have worked 18-hour. But there’s also flexibility within the industry.”

  In startups, work pressure often hinges on project demands. 

  Wiljo Wilson, an employee at Deltasoft Consulting, a Kochi-based software services and product engineering company, said that being a startup, the projects were demanding and challenging. “We have flexible timing and don’t micromanage the hours logged, but we need to meet deadlines and attend meetings.”

  The letter & the spirit

  India’s labour laws, including the Factories Act of 1948, cap work hours at nine per day and 48 per week. State-specific Shops and Establishments Act align with this, setting a standard 48-hour workweek. Overtime is supposed to be compensated with additional wages. 

This is in line with global norms, points out Amit Kumar Nag, partner, AQUILAW, a Kolkata-based law firm.

  However, these laws are not uniformly applied across sectors and states, Nag said. In Maharashtra, for instance, managerial or supervisory employees are exempted, while in Telangana, the exemption applies to those earning over ~1,600 per month.

There’s a grey area concerning white-collar employees, he added. “They are not covered by these laws, and their work hours and overtime pay are governed by company policies.”

  As the debate over optimal work hours continues, it’s clear that the issue isn’t just about productivity.