90-hr work week debate: ’Been at work for 100 hrs, but not productive,’ Radhika Gupta shares why she felt ’miserable
Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, reflects on her experience working 100-hour weeks, highlighting the lack of productivity and the importance of work-life balance. She advocates for sustainable hard work and emphasizes the need for mental health and family considerations in the workplace.
Joining the controversy over the 90-hour workweek debate advocated by L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, Radhika Gupta, CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, has shared her story on how working for nearly 100 hours has not been productive.
In a long post on X titled “Choices, Hard Work and Happiness”, Radhika Gupta shared her journey and the lessons she learnt over the course of her career.
She emphasised the role of hard work as a path to success.
“Hard work is important, and I was taught and believe that it is the only way to rise. In the competitive workplace, I also believe the person who works harder will rise faster. Great careers, achievements, and companies are the results of a lot of hard work,” Radhika Gupta wrote.
Radhika highlighted that everybody has different goals in life and wants a demanding career with higher roles. There should be no judgment for such people.
“Hard work is a choice. Ambition is a choice. And choices have consequences. Not everybody has to aspire to be a CEO or founder with a mega exit. I know many people who have chosen the path of a less demanding career within their field because time off from work matters to them. No judgments,” she said.
What is the 90-hour workweek debate about?
The L&T Chairman, while talking to employees in an internal meeting, questioned the need for off days, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”
Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy initiated the debate on work-life balance and long working hours recently, advocating a 70-hour work week.
He says young Indians working 70 hours a week will promote national growth.
Radhika Gupta on long working hours
Speaking on working hours, Radhika mentioned how she used to work for 100 hours earlier, which made her feel ‘miserable’ and was even hospitalised twice.
“Now let's talk hours. I worked 100 hours a week for four consecutive months on my 1st project during my 1st job.18 hours a day, with one day off (and not Sunday—I got Monday off because I had to be at a client site on Sunday),” Radhika stated.
“What was it like? 90% of the time, I was miserable. I went to office bathrooms and cried, ate chocolate cake from room service at 2 a.m., and was hospitalised twice. Most importantly, I may have been at work for 100 hours, but I was not productive in those. The same story is true for many of my graduating classmates who joined similar roles in banking, consulting, etc,” she added.
Hard work and long working hours
She advised against equating hard work with the number of hours worked and even shared an example of a friend.
“Hard work is not equal to hours worked. Many of those hours in entry-level careers were pure facetime. Heck, I know a friend who created a screensaver with an Excel model to convince their boss they were in the office! No wonder many of us didn't last in those roles very long,” Radhika wrote.
According to her, hard work should be sustainable over a long period of time. This will yield results.
Role of family and health
Radhika also highlighted the role of family and health, which should not be compromised to become successful.
“Family and mental health cannot be absent from this. Otherwise, we will build a world of anxiety and breakdowns, early heart attacks, unhappy marriages, and absentee parenting. I could work those hours I did as a young, single girl because I had no responsibilities,” Radhika said.
“Today, between my career, managing my home, caring for parents, and giving time to my husband and son, I am consumed. And this is despite privilege: a hands-on husband, support staff, parents who chip in, and lots of resources. I commute 1.5 hours a day, but many commute 3–4 hours in our cities. They have homes to run, chores to do, dabbas to pack, kids to drop to school and more,” she added.
As organizations, we have to think about the culture we create. Of course, founders/CEOs work harder—they have economic incentives to do so. But I have found in our own org that when you create a culture where people find purpose in what they do, they will go above and beyond for you, even in difficult personal circumstances. Forcing anything is hard, let alone enforcing a certain number of hours. Inspiring people to give their best is easier.
Further, she emphasised how inclusive growth and happiness should align with each other.
“All of us have to contribute to making India a developed nation. But as we do so, we should also strive to be a happy nation—enjoying the fruits of that development: the joy of building, of giving our families better lives, and of experiencing what the previous generation may not have had. Happiness, inclusive growth, and development go hand in hand,” Radhika wrote.
Radhika also raised concerns on how people, especially women are refraining from having a family as it may compromise their career.
"Finally, I meet many young people, especially women, who are questioning whether they should have a family because of the fear that family and career cannot coexist. This debate scares them even more. Having a happy relationship with work and life is possible while contributing to the dream of Viksit Bharat. Let’s tell our kids that," Radhika wrote on X.
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Business NewsCompaniesPeople90-hr work week debate: ’Been at work for 100 hrs, but not productive,’ Radhika Gupta shares why she felt ’miserable
First Published:11 Jan 2025, 09:32 AM IST
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