Rishi Sunak's father-in-law says young people should work 70-hour week

Rishi Sunak's billionaire father-in-law says he does not 'believe in work-life balance' and young people should shun weekends to work 70-hour weeks in a bid to help India 'compete' against other nations.

Software tycoon NR Narayana Murthy, who co-founded Infosys, recently made the remarks when asked about his own working pattern - which at one time comprised 14 hour days, six-and-a-half days a week, or 91 hours on average.

The 78-year-old told broadcaster CNBC-TV18 that he believes young people should work longer hours because India's work productivity is 'one of the lowest in the world', The Times reports.

He said: 'Frankly I was a little bit disappointed in 1986 when we moved from a six-day week to a five-day week.'

'I was not very happy with that. I think in this country, we have to work very hard because there is no substitute for hard work even if you’re the most intelligent guy.'

His latest views echo similar sentiments expressed last year on a business podcast in which he also complained young Indians are picking up 'not-so desirable habits from the West'.

He lamented that time that 'unless we improve our work productivity... we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.

'So, therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week',' he said.

India's own prime minister, Narendra Modi, often works a 100-hour week.  

The controversial comments triggered backlash from many online, with critics pointing out the low starting salaries and long hours endured by youngsters in the country.

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Some business leaders have backed his calls for higher productivity, while his wife defended the comments saying her husband has worked even longer than 70-hour weeks during his successful career. 

'He has worked 80 to 90 hours a week, so he doesn't know what less than that is,' Sudha Murty told News 18 previously.

'He believes in real hard work and he lived like that. Hence, he has told what he felt.'

In the UK, the working time directive states that employees should not work more than 48 hours a week on average.

Employees' working hours has become a hot topic in India, with the pandemic prompting a change in attitude towards working from home, but some business leaders believe this change has slowed the economy.

Murthy who has an estimated wealth of more than $5billion, is the father of Akshata Murty, wife of former prime minister Rishi Sunak.

He stepped down as a chair of Infosys in 2014 and is respected for his penchant for hard work and non-flamboyant lifestyle. 

But not all agree with his views, pointing out that many Indians are currently working long hours without financial gain. 

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Others are concerned about the physical and mental health issues that could arise from working without a break.

For many in low-paid jobs, people are working as many hours as they can put in, with the concept of having a weekend or any time off considered a luxury. 

Social media users took to X to express their concerns.

One wrote: 'He [Murthy] is a hardworking person, but he is completely ignoring the health and physical aspect of people. End of the day, we are humans and not machines.'

Another wrote: 'Great idea! Let's work 14 hours a day so we can sacrifice our personal lives and mental health too, because clearly that's the path to progress. 

'Next up: advocating for 7-day workweeks and sleeping at the office, because who needs family, rest, or balance when you have 'national progress' to achieve?'

Indians do already work long hours - according to a report from the International Labour Organisation published last year, Indians worked an average of more than 2,000 hours every year before the pandemic, much higher than the US, Brazil and Germany.