90-Hour Workweeks: A modern-day Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing story??

The recent proposition of a 90-hour workweek, coupled with the comment that Sundays are spent “staring at spouses,” reveals a disconnect between leadership rhetoric and the realities of everyday life. While the idea is cloaked in the noble goal of “nation-building” (the sheep), it conceals the dangers of burnout, exploitation, and the devaluation of human well-being (the wolf).

A simple Global Comparisons: Work Hours Across Nations (statistics from the ILO updated on Jan 11th , 2024)

When advocating for excessive work hours, it’s essential to consider global practices:

• India: 46.7 hours per week, with over 51% of the workforce exceeding 49 hours.
• Bhutan: 54.4 hours per week, the highest among all nations and also has 61% of workers clocking in beyond 49 hours weekly, yet its economy lags far behind India’s.
• China: 46.1 hours per week, thriving as a global economic powerhouse without resorting to overwork.
• United States: 34.4 hours per week, emphasizing work-life balance alongside high levels of innovation and productivity.
• Germany: 34.3 hours per week, one of the lowest among developed nations, yet renowned for its strong economy and a much better quality of life.

These statistics highlight a critical fact: Overwork doesn’t guarantee national growth or individual success. Instead, nations that prioritize balanced work environments thrive economically while protecting their citizens' well-being.

Addressing the Wrong People

Let’s be clear: maybe this call to overwork should have been directed to the privileged few at the top—CEOs, industrialists, and policymakers—who have the means and support systems to devote their entire lives to “nation-building.” Unlike the common salaried worker, they don’t have to worry about who will cook the next meal, tutor the kids, pay for the fees, pay for the medical bills, house rent/loans or care for aging parents.

To the average Indian employee juggling work, family, and bills, the idea of working 90 hours a week isn’t just unrealistic—it’s inhumane and utter madness. Employee No. 123456 may be easily replaced by another, but a dad, mom, son, daughter, husband, or wife can never be replaced. Relationships and families suffer irreparable damage when work completely eclipses every other facet of life.

The Importance of Mental Health

Mental health isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic fundamental human need. For the common man or woman, good mental health:

1.?????? Ensures Family Stability: Spending quality time with children, spouses, and aging parents fosters bonds that are the basis of a thriving and happy society.

1. Drives Productivity: A rested, happy employee performs far better than one suffering with exhaustion, work stress and burnout.
2. Prevents Long-Term Costs: The consequences of overwork—mental health disorders, physical ailments, and broken families—impose significant long-term costs on individuals, families, and society.

Burnout shouldn’t be glorified or normalized under the cover of ?“for the nation’s improvement”. Rest is not a reward—it’s a necessity. A monthly salaried employee must recharge to manage the many other non-work-related responsibilities that keep their household functional and harmonious.

Sundays (or weekly days off) aren’t for idle indulgence. They’re for reconnecting with loved ones, nurturing personal passions, and taking care of physical and mental health. Those who mock this as “staring at spouses” might want to reexamine their understanding of healthy relationships, starting from their own houses.

The Common Man’s Reality

Unlike industrialists or corporate leaders, the average Indian employee’s goal isn’t “nation-building.” It’s mere survival. Their dreams revolve around providing for their families, giving their children better opportunities, and having a secure financial stability. The narrative that they must overwork to achieve national progress ignores their struggles and erodes their already fragile mental and emotional well-being.

Leadership grounded in empathy would recognize these realities, focusing instead on building efficient systems and cultivating innovation without burdening employees with unsustainable workloads.

I do not have the experience or exposure of SNS, Mr. Narayanamurthy, or the privilege of calling a former UK Prime Minister my son-in-law. But I do possess something else — empathy. Empathy for the common salaried worker who doesn’t wake up each morning to "build the nation" but instead strives to put food on the table, pay bills, and create a better life for their family.

For these working class individuals:

• A 90-hour workweek is not an opportunity; it’s a huge burden.
• Burnout is not a badge of honor or a milestone for us; it’s a health crisis waiting to happen anytime.
• Sundays are not idle days for us; they’re the moments to reconnect with our loved ones, nurture relationships, probably rest and for some probably complete the weeklong accumulated household chores, take up another side job to support the family amidst the ever inflating inflation.

Not everyone has the privilege of working at a pace they choose or living a life insulated from the stresses of the middle class. Most people balance their days between professional commitments and personal responsibilities, a delicate act that does not afford room for exploitation under the disguise of productivity.

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The Path Forward

True national growth lies not in overburdening workers but in empowering them with tools, training, and systems that enable them to work smarter, not longer. Countries like Germany, the United States, and others prove that balanced work cultures foster economic progress while upholding human dignity.

Let’s break away from glorifying overwork and champion work-life balance. A nation isn’t built by burnout—it thrives on the strength of rested, resilient, empathetically understood and respected citizens.

#WorkLifeBalance #MentalHealthMatters #SmartWorkNotOverwork #LeadershipWithEmpathy

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