Disagree with SN Subrahmanyan’s work-life balance take? Throwback to Shark Tank fame Namita Thapar’s insightful comment

Deepika Padukone isn’t the only one mortified over L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s rather insensitive statement strongly nudging the Indian work force to willingly comply with the potentiality of a 90-hour work week, week on week. Miffed at L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s take on work-life balance? Throwback to Shark Tank fame Namita Thapar’s significantly more humane take Subrahmanyan may not be the only one advocating for employees somehow finding it in themselves to be enthusiastic about landing up at work every last day of the week — here’s looking at Infosys’ Narayan Murthy and Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal — but his approach to voicing his opinion is easily the crassest of the lot. In an undated video, the L&T chairman can be seen dishing out a rather cocky response during an employee interaction, when asked to comment on the company’s policy of working Saturdays; he said, “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”. If this statement in itself wasn’t enough, he went onto supplement it with an uncalled for dig at employees’ family lives: “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working”. Deepika, who for long has been an advocate of mental health awareness, was quick to slam the clip as soon as it gained traction online. She also didn’t mince her words at the statement released the company, justifying the absurd take as some sort of national perspective. If Subrahmanyan’s take, not to mention the same of other corporate heavyweights who tread the same ideological lines, has left you, a member of the Indian workforce feeling dejected, fret not, for every last founder doesn’t feel this way. Take Executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals and Shark Tank fame Namita Thapar for instance. During an interaction last year with Humans of Bombay, which also featured Shaadi.com founder and fellow Shark Tank investor Anupam Mittal, Namita went head to head with her contemporary as she pushed her very realic take on work-life balance. Right off the bat, Namita expressed how the same level of dedication and time investment cannot and should not be expected from founders and employees. While for founders investing nearly their entire day in their work will carry fat rewards at the end of the day, the only thing it will leave employees with are physical ailments and mental health episodes. She said: “This is a crock of bull****. Pardon my language. I completely disagree. For founders, high stakeholders who make tons of money, go for it. Work 24 hours a day forever, but I think for the common man and woman, they need some specified number of work hours”. While her take did acknowledge that during certain bursts of time, employees may be expected to over-deliver, this should only be an exception and not the rule. With an airtight example Namita concluded, “If my accountant works 20-hour days, he’s not gaining any upside like I am. Instead, he’ll face serious physical and mental health issues”. What’s your take on this fiasco?