Infosys asks staff to focus on work-life balance, countering Narayana Murthy's 70-hour workweek pitch

The company has around 323,500 employees as of now and its previous office policy asked staff to work from office for at least 10 days per month

NR Naryana Murthy may not agree with this but IT major Infosys that he founded has issued a new policy that asks its employees to avoid long working hours while working from home.

The software firm has flagged health risks and asked its employees to ensure a work-life balance, a report by The Economic Times said.

The IT major sent mails individually to all its employees, saying they should stick to regular working hours, the newspaper said.

The Bengaluru-headquartered firm has employed a system that triggers a warning once the working time exceeds 09:15 hours, the paper said quoting an employee on the condition of anonymity.

Moreover, the company sends a mail, saying the average working hour over the past month has been more than the standard hours, ET reported.

The mails also stress on the need to maintain a work-life balance to ensure employee’s well-being and effectiveness at work.

The company has around 323,500 employees as of now and its previous office policy asked staff to work from office for at least 10 days per month.

The latest development by India’s second largest IT company comes after several reports showed young employees have become vulnerable to severe health risks, including cardiac arrest.

The move is in complete contrast to what its founder had said a few months ago. Murthy had argued that India’s economic challenges need a culture of hard work and he does not believe in work-life balance. Murthy doubled down on his statement to defend 70-hour work week argument, saying he won’t change his view and will “take it to his grave”.