A former L&T employee, who has worked with the company for two years and has had interactions with its chairman SN Subrahmanyan, has come on record to say that although he disliked working on Saturdays, working 90 hours a week is exactly what L&T requires.
Mumbai-based investment advisor Amey Kulkarni was a business planning manager with Subrahmanyan's company before quitting in 2017. "I have worked with Larsen and Toubro for two years. Have also interacted with Mr SN Subrahmanyan a few times then in 2015," he said. "Working Saturday was always irritating and taxing for me as well. But, his 90-hour workweek comment is in exact sync with what his company requires."
Explaining his stand, Kulkarni added that L&T is a hierarchical organisation "like the army". For it, discipline and work ethics are way more important than knowledge, brilliance, and creativity.
"Imagine that L&T is building the metro in your city. If L&T works during the night, your metro will get built in half the time. This means metro functional in 5 years vs 10 years - BIG difference," he wrote on X.
Kulkarni said that the company is one of the best places for educated, middle-class, non-software engineers to work for life.
After his post on X went viral, Kulkarni shared an update in jest. He wrote: "Okay now, my wife has given me the task of staring at her for the next 30 minutes." He was referring to Subramanyan's remark challenging the need for time off: “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.”
Kulkarni's testimony comes hours after the HR head of the conglomerate shared a lengthy statement on LinkedIn highlighting how Subrahmanyan's words were taken out of context.
Sonica Muraleedharan, who has worked with L&T for about five years, said she was present at the meeting where the comments were made.
"It’s truly disheartening to see how the words of our MD & Chairman, S.N. Subrahmanyan (SNS) have been taken out of context, leading to misunderstandings and unnecessary criticism," she wrote. "Having been present during the internal address, I can confidently state that SNS never implied or mandated 90-hour work weeks. His remarks were casual in nature and have been misinterpreted, fuelling a controversy that doesn’t reflect his true intentions."
She also stated that despite his packed schedule, Subrahmanyan takes the time to connect with employees and ensure their voices are heard. She also urged people to fully understand the context and intent behind his words "before rushing to judgment". "Leaders like SNS inspire positive change and growth, and it’s vital to recognize their efforts rather than misinterpret them," Sonica said.
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