NEW DELHI: Anand Mahindra, the chairman of the Mahindra Group, has joined the debate on the ideal workweek, following remarks from L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan that sparked widespread online outrage. Speaking at the National Youth Festival in New Delhi on Saturday, Mahindra said that the real issue is not the number of hours worked, but the quality of the output.
“We have to focus on the quality of work, not on the quantity of work. It’s not about 40 hours, 70 hours, or 90 hours. What output are you doing?” Mahindra asserted. He added that even in just 10 hours of work, one could achieve significant change.
Further expanding on his views, Mahindra stressed the importance of a well-rounded life. He argued that having exposure to a wide range of fields, including arts and culture, makes for better decision-makers. “You make better decisions when you have a whole brain, when you are informed about arts, culture, that’s when you make a good decision,” Mahindra explained, as reported by news agency PTI.
He also pointed out that spending time with family, friends, and engaging in personal reflection contributes to better leadership and creativity. “If we are only in the office all the time, we are not with our families, we are not with other families. How are we going to understand what people want to buy? ” he added.
Addressing his followers on X, who often question how much time he spends on social media instead of working, Mahindra explained, “I want to make it clear—I’m on X not because I’m lonely. My wife is amazing, and I love spending time with her. I’m not here to make friends. I’m here because people don’t realize how powerful a business tool this is. On one platform, I can get feedback from 11 million people.”
In a video circulating online, the L&T Chairman advocated for a 90-hour work week and suggested that employees should even give up Sundays for work. His remark, “How long can you stare at your wife?” was widely criticised as insensitive and out of touch with the realities of work-life balance. Subrahmanyan also referred to a conversation he had with a Chinese professional who claimed that working 90 hours a week would help surpass the US, where workers typically work only 50 hours.
Also read: ‘How long can you stare at spouse?’ L&T chief backs working on Sunday
Business leaders have expressed strong opposition to Subrahmanyan’s remarks. Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises, took to social media to mock the idea of a 90-hour work week, saying, “90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept!” He said that while hard work is essential, it should not come at the expense of personal well-being. “Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential,” he added.
Gautam Adani also joined the conversation on work-life balance, stating that it is a personal choice. Referring to the often-discussed issue of family time, Adani said, “Aath ghanta family ke saath bitayega tho biwi bhaag jaayegi” (Wife will leave if one spends eight hours with family).
Also read: Gautam Adani’s playful response to Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour workweek advice
This follows comments made by Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy, who suggested that young workers should be prepared to work up to 70 hours a week.
Social media is one of the fastest ways to communicate even to the highest echelons of any company. Social media users often take to X, Linkedin or even Instagram to either praise or register their complaints with concerned companies. One such recent episode escalated into a social media war when comedian Kunal Kamra posted about the degrading service quality of Ola Scooters. Kamra’s post did not go well with Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal and the duo landed into a social media war of words. Now, an X user advised Mahindra & Mahindra CEO to improve quality and other issues related to the company’s cars/SUVs offering and not only to focus on new launches.
The user commented on an X post made by Anand Mahindra after M7M launched its new electric vehicle range of Be6e and XEV 9e. In his post, the user said, “You better fix your ground level issues of existing cars, service centres, spare parts issues, employees behaviours first. Before showing sky-high shallow aspirations. Every single product of yours is for those who don’t study and research, the media is full of complaints, I won’t talk about the looks of your products because that’s subjective still your cars stand nowhere at all near Hyundai when it comes to aesthetics. You either overdo or do very very overdo and make gobar kinda designs. Be6e is no exception you made another ajooba looking car which will be an eyesore in a couple of months.”
The user further added, “I have no idea if your design team or you yourself have such bad taste. But seriously your cars are for those who want a mountain-size car in 2011 and have no idea about reliability and quality. I seriously hope and wish that Mahindra and Tata can be the new Maruti and Hyundai for the world but so far only disappointed.”
However, unlike Bhavis, Anand Mahindra took the feedback in a positive way and said that Mahindra has come a long way and is ready to go miles further. “We have a long way to go. But please consider how far we have come. When I joined the company in 1991, the economy had just been opened up. A global consulting firm strongly advised us to exit the car business since we had no chance, in their view, of competing with the foreign brands that would enter. Three decades later, we are still around and competing fiercely. We have used all the surrounding cynicism, scepticism—and even rudeness, as in your post—to fuel our hunger to succeed. Yes, we have miles to go before we sleep. There is no room for any complacency and continuous improvement will continue to be our mantra. But thank you for feeding the fire in our bellies….” said Anand Mahindra.
You’re right, Sushant.
We have a long way to go.
But please consider how far we have come.
When I joined the company in 1991, the economy had just been opened up.
A global consulting firm strongly advised us to exit the car business since we had no chance, in their view, of… pic.twitter.com/xinxlBcGuV
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 1, 2024
Netizens were impressed with Mahindra’s demeanour and sober response. “It is heartening to see you take the criticism to fuel the hunger,” said one X user.
“What a heart-warming reply Anand ji. Way to go. India needs to support such level-headed proprietors and brands with grit and iron will,” said another X user.