While corporate leaders lobby for gruelling 70-hour and even 90-hour workweeks, Veeba, India's leading condiment manufacturer, has taken a different approach.
Viraj Bahl, Founder and Managing Director of Veeba has openly rejected the concept of overly lengthy work hours and called it outdated and unfair to employees.
The company has been walking the talk, too, lowering its workweek to 40 hours, Economic Times reports.
Bahl recently appeared on The Rockford Circle podcast and stated unequivocally that employees should not be asked to work such long hours.
He claimed that while it may make sense for founders, who are the primary financial benefactors of a company's success, it is illogical to impose the same burden on employees who do not receive equal income.
Unlike many companies that advocate for longer work hours, Bahl emphasised that forcing people to work excessively without an equity stake or significant financial incentives is an antiquated and unsustainable strategy.
His opinions stand in stark contrast to those of business leaders like Narayana Murthy, who in 2023 proposed that staff work 70-hour weeks to enhance India's productivity. Murthy's statement generated heated arguments over workplace culture, garnering both praise and criticism.
More recently, SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), went a step further, urging that staff work up to 90 hours per week, including Sundays, to stay competitive.
