ITC Chairman Shares Joins the Debate on 90-Hour Work Week

Following L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s controversial take on supporting a 90-hour work week that ignited the nationwide debate about work-life balance, ITC Limited Chairman Sanjiv Puri joined the discussion and shared his opinion. Puri highlighted the essence of flexibility and empowering employees to achieve excellence rather than strictly monitoring the working hours.

He said, “We would rather like people to be part of the journey of the company, feel passionately involved, and feel the urge amongst themselves to contribute to the enterprise.” He further stated that ITC does not believe in imposing a specific number of working hours, instead it relies on individuals to realise their true potential. The company focuses on enabling individuals to realise their potential and achieve their goals.

While highlighting the company's commitment to flexible working hours, the chairman said, “It’s more about empowering employees to actualise their potential rather than monitoring their hours.”

Notably, L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan commented about a 90-hour work week, while insisting employees to work on Sundays. His views sparked furore on the internet, sparking discussions about work-life balance nationwide. However, later on, Subrahmanyan took a step back affirming that his remarks were aimed at inspiring the workforce, while aligning with India’s growth opportunities.

L&T HR head Sonica Muraleedharan wrote a post on LinkedIn addressing the controversy on 90 hour work week. While highlighting that Subrahmanyan “never implied or mandated 90-hour work weeks”, she went on to praise him staging, “He treats every employee as part of an extended family... He always encourages us to...grow both personally and professionally.”