90-hour workweek: Experts dissect its feasibility, and work-life balance

Last week Larsen amp Toubro chairman SN Subrahmanyan inadvertently sparked a nationwide math challenge His alarming proposal that implied a 90hour workweek with no weekends sent Indians scrambling for their calculators to find out how short they fall of this outrageous benchmark ldquoI regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays to be honest How long can you stare at your wife and how long can a wife stare at her husbandrdquo Subrahmanyan says in an undated video that has since gone viralShort agendabased meetings can help work seem less taxingWhile we hope our readersrsquo calculations stopped at a safe distance from the nervous 90s the Internet minced no words when it erupted with dissent From Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitrarsquos reminder that LampTrsquos birthplace Denmark averages a 34hour workweek and actor and mental health advocate Deepika Padukone labelling the comments ldquoshockingrdquo to business tycoon Anand Mahindrarsquos cheeky dig at the latter half of the statement the debate seems to have just begunMind itBreak time away from the desk is vital during long hoursNot more than 20 minutesrdquo says psychotherapist Binaifer Sahukar With 32 years of personal and employee wellness work experience under her belt Sahukar is referring to the human brainrsquos capability to stay focussed on a task at hand ldquoThere is a reason our classes in school and college were restricted to 20 to 30 minutes eachrdquo she adds In comparison to the daunting 90 hours Sahukar advocates for a 35hour workweek for optimal worklife balance ldquoAny template beyond that and yoursquore doing yourself a disservice Your sleeping patterns eating habits relationships and sex life all take a hit when you work long hoursrdquo she warnsTaking short breaks every 20 minutes can help you focus betterSahukar also unveils the lesser explored element of guilt ldquoSitting at work for 15 hours a day you will start reeling under the guilt of not giving your loved ones enough time On the other hand when yoursquore in their company yoursquoll still be thinking about work Itrsquos an extremely unpleasant position to find yourself inrdquo she explains admitting that the prevalent work culture might have a role to play ldquoThe culture of impressing your boss needs to go Many employees take up such gargantuan tasks only to get noticed by their seniors without considering their bodily limitationsrdquo she addsTalk of the bossSN Subrahmanyan proposes the no weekend schedule in the viral video PIC COURTESYINSTAGRAMSanjay Shroff chief business officer Rent Alpha and Mizuho Leasing chooses to call these compromises ldquothe premium you pay for successrdquo He explains ldquoWorking 90 hours a week might not be for everyone but the ones who can will find a way to do it Passion in this case is the most important prerequisite An average employee may rise up the ranks at their own pace with a 50hour workweek But if hisher colleague wishes to cover the same ground faster by putting in the extra hours there should be nothing holding them backrdquoBinaifer SahukarShroff acknowledges the limitations of Subrahmanyanrsquos proposal ldquoImposing a blanket rule makes little sense After all not everyone carries the same passion Every individual cannot and need not be the cregraveme de la cregraveme in their field There are business tycoons surgeons and lawyers who continue to put their head down and push through long hours because they love what they do And if they can do it there is no question of efficiency or whether it is humanly possible to work these long hoursrdquo he reasons adding that short breaks while clocking in these hours can be helpfulCounterproductiveWhile some might agree with Shroffrsquos formula for success corporate trainer and career coach Rhea Punjabi is not one of them ldquoResearch has shown that if you work eight hours a day you are only productive for a cumulative two hours Anything beyond that is pointlessrdquo she says Such rules might also turn employees hostile towards their own workplace she cautions ldquoAppreciation for any extra work you put in is essential When the bar is set so high and overworking becomes the norm employees find no incentive to continue workingrdquo she revealsSanjay Shroff and Rhea PunjabiBefore looking at the clock Punjabi suggests healthier checks to ensure an employeersquos productivity especially in fields like media and creative arts where results are not quantifiablegtgt Does the employee have a clear understanding of the problem statement of the project you are working ongtgt Does the employee take the initiative to mentor his juniors and delegate workgtgt Is the employee causing friction in the team that is subsequently slowing work downldquoTime is an outdated marker of productivity Back in the day work was way more interactive You would step out talk to people and be on the move to get work done The concept of screen time and digital burnout were nonexistentrdquo Punjabi reasonsEverything said and done you might still want to dip your toes in the 90hour concept to see what all the fuss is about For the adventurous kind and teams who might want to adopt the schedule for short periods Punjabi suggests a checklistgtgt Eliminate meetings Cap them at two a day with clear agendasgtgt Incorporate short healthy breaks to give your senses a breakgtgt Make the workplace cosier by playing soft music or games between periods of workgtgt Ensure that the employees have access to a spacious walking and dining area to cut off from the desktops or laptopsHappy at workWhile more than one factor contributes to the happiness ranking of countries herersquos a quick look at the top three countries with their average work hours in comparison with India