80-hour workweek diktat at IISc Bengaluru sets off fury and revolt; students call it ‘spy-like surveillance’

A new rule mandating 70-80 working hours per week for research students at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru has triggered massive unrest on campus. The new attendance rule has been mandated by the Department of Electronic Systems Engineering (ESE) and applies to staff, faculty and students on campus.

While the students have accused the administration of enforcing a “spy-like surveillance” system that is “damaging to mental health”, the campus has justified the new attendance rule move as a way to bring “transparency, discipline, and accountability”.

What does the new IISc attendance rule say?

Here is all about the new attendance rule and parking policy that has triggered unrest at IISc Bengaluru:

1. The new attendance policy was implemented this month. It sets minimum weekly working hours for staff, faculty, MTech, and PhD scholars at IISc Bengaluru.
2. According to the circular, permanent and contractual staff must log 40 working hours per week. The 40 working hours per week do not include lunch breaks. Also Read | How long is a ‘long work week’? Is India among the most overworked nations?
3. MTech and first-year PhD students are required to spend at least 50 hours per week on campus.
4. Senior PhD scholars must align their working hours with those of their supervisors, which often range between 70 and 80 hours a week.
5. Those accessing central research facilities such as the National Nanofabrication Centre (NNFC), Micro and Nano Characterisation Facility (MNCF), or IISc Microscopy Facility are required to separately log the hours spent at these centres.
6. Those wishing to work from home are mandated to submit proper documentation.

Justifying the rule, Department Head Professor Mayank Srivastava said the new policy was “not about strictness, but about fostering responsibility” and that it aims to improve security and overall efficiency.

The debate over long working hours was reignited after L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan suggested that employees should work up to 90 hours a week and even forgo Sundays. In the viral video, suggesting that employees should even give up Sundays, Subrahmanyan asks, “How long can you stare at your wife?”

“I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Come on, get to the office and start working," he added, triggering reactions across sections.