L&T chairman advocates 90-hour workweek, wants employees to work on Sundays too: 'I will be more happy'

The video, widely circulated on Reddit, triggered sharp criticism, with many users condemning SN Subrahmanyan's comments.

SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has come under intense scrutiny after suggesting that employees should work 90 hours a week and even on Sundays to stay competitive. His remarks, made during an internal interaction, surfaced in a video shared on Reddit, sparking widespread criticism and comparisons to similar contentious statements by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.

In the undated video, Subrahmanyan was responding to an employee's question about why the company mandated working on Saturdays. He stated, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays also.”

Challenging the need for time off, he added, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”

The L&T chairman justified his stance with an anecdote about a conversation with a Chinese professional who claimed that China could surpass the United States due to its stronger work ethic. According to the anecdote, the Chinese individual said, “Chinese people work 90 hours a week, while Americans work only 50 hours a week.” Drawing parallels, Mr Subrahmanyan urged L&T employees to emulate this work culture.

“So that's the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week,” he said.

The video, widely circulated on Reddit, triggered sharp criticism, with many users condemning Subrahmanyan's comments as tone-deaf and reflective of outdated corporate practices. Some compared his remarks to those of Narayana Murthy, who recently advocated for a 70-hour work week for young professionals.

L&T Chairman says “ he regrets he’s not able to make us work on Sunday and Sunday’s, 90hrs a week” in a response to his employee remarks
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One Reddit user wrote, “I work in L&T and had to sit through this entire thing. Imagine our horror! We blamed Narayana Murthy for the 70-hour work week.” Another labelled the chairman’s remarks as “shameless promotion of corporate slavery.”

Critics also questioned why lower-paid employees were expected to meet the same expectations as CEOs. “Why don't companies offer different working hour options? Let people choose: 40 hours, 50 hours, or 70 hours a week, with pay adjusted accordingly,” a commenter suggested.

Several Reddit users claiming to be L&T employees shared their grievances about the company’s work culture. One alleged that sick leave was only approved if employees were unwell for at least two consecutive days. “Someone asked in L&T why sick leave is only approved if you’re sick for two days. The response was, ‘Then don’t fall sick,’” the user claimed.

Another commenter highlighted poor work-life balance and low pay: “L&T pays peanuts. Even a Tier-1 engineering graduate gets only Rs 35,000 per month after working 6.5 days a week in remote locations without basic facilities. During the first year, employees are given only seven casual leaves, meaning they can’t even go home once. Over 90% of campus hires leave the organisation within the first three years, and 50-60% leave within the first year.”

This comes at a time when work-life balance and mental health are central to discussions between employers and employees.

The statements have reignited concerns about corporate attitudes towards employees' well-being. While some advocate for increased productivity to drive economic growth, others argue that such demands are detrimental to mental health and quality of life.

Meanwhile, addressing Subrahmanyan's statements, a spokesperson from L&T said, “At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India's infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation. The Chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward.”