90-hour work week a mistake? Productivity dips after 8 hours, says Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, argues that longer work weeks lead reduction in productivity. He stressed that while occasional overtime can be beneficial, consistently working beyond eight hours is counterproductive and should not be the standard.
Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India feels that longer workweeks won't boost productivity. He feels that productivity dips after 8 hours, Business Today reported. These comments come days after Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan sparked controversy after he advocated 90 hours workweeks for employees.
Joining the ongoing debate surrounding longer workweeks, Adar Poonawalla said “Working 8 hours is good, sometimes everyone has to stretch, but it can't be the norm." In an interview with Rahul Kanwal, Poonawalla asserted that working hours depends on the journey and stage of business, "If you are an entrepreneur building a business, you should work hard and do whatever it takes."
Pointing to the need of worklife balance in employees' life, Adar Poonawalla criticised longer workweeks and said,"These chaps feel that hard work is very important, there is no debate and substitute for hard work. But of course, you need to have a social life and balance your life so that you can come back refreshed to work and be productive,” Business Today reported.
According to Adar Poonawalla, building relationships and meeting people is important, this could be to raise funds or engage with government officials. He noted that these activities are vital as office hours. Notably, Subrahmanyan remarks about longer workweeks follows Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy suggestion for 70-hour workweek to improve productivity.
Emphasising limits of human endurance, the CEO of Serum Institute of India said, “Human beings can’t be productive beyond 8-9 hours. Sometimes, you have to put in those hours, and it is fine, but you can’t do that every day.”
‘Monday to Sunday in office is impractical’
Adar Poonawalla added, “From Monday to Sunday, you can’t just be in the office working. That is a bit impractical.” Defending Subrahmanyan and Murthy, Serum Institute chief said that they may not have meant literally working 365 days a year but would have instead suggested employees to “work hard.”
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Business NewsNewsIndia90-hour work week a mistake? Productivity dips after 8 hours, says Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla
First Published:21 Jan 2025, 02:30 PM IST
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