Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi has sparked discussion by advocating for a 47.5-hour workweek and discouraging the practice of sending emails to employees during weekends. Speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) in Mumbai, Yardi outlined his perspective on work-life balance and productivity, drawing comparisons with more demanding views held by other corporate leaders.
During the event, Yardi stated, "Forty-seven and a half hours. We have about nine hours a day and five days a week," when asked about the ideal number of weekly working hours. This figure is significantly lower than the 70-hour workweek proposed by Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy and the even more extreme suggestion of 90 hours from Larsen & Toubro’s chairman, S. N. Subrahmanyan.
Yardi emphasized his guiding principle over the past four years is to avoid sending emails on weekends, explaining, "My guiding principle for the last four years is don't send an email on a weekend even if it is an escalation,unless you know you can solve it on a weekend." He believes such communications serve no purpose if they cannot be addressed immediately, stating it only adds unnecessary stress. "There’s no point in giving ‘grief’ to an employee when the work cannot be completed on a weekend," he noted. Despite occasionally working over the weekend himself, Yardi makes it clear he does not expect his employees to do the same.
This push for reduced working hours and less communication pressure aligns with broader trends among corporate leaders who are beginning to value outcomes over sheer hours spent at work. This was echoed by Nasscom chairperson Sindhu Gangadharan, who remarked, "Outcomes should matter more than the number of hours worked." Similarly, Saugata Gupta, CEO of Marico, expressed support for this approach, admitting, "I do send emails at 11 PM as well," illuminating the varying work cultures within different organizations.
The contentious topic of work hours has been heating up recently, particularly due to remarks from Narayana Murthy and S. N. Subrahmanyan. The former has claimed Indian employees need to embrace longer hours to compete with nations like China, promoting the idea of 70-hour workweeks to increase productivity. Subrahmanyan's advocacy for even longer hours sparked controversy as he publicly regretted not being able to require his employees to work on Sundays, stating, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife, and how long can the wife stare at the husband?"
While such views have their supporters, many, including Yardi, argue for a more balanced approach. Yardi pointed out the need for businesses to adapt to the changing expectations of younger employees who are increasingly prioritizing work-life balance. He detailed how Capgemini is responding to these shifts by implementing quarterly promotion cycles, conducting six-week employee surveys to gauge satisfaction, and establishing clearer career paths to support their staff.
The conversation around the ideal workweek is emblematic of larger discussions within the corporate world about employee welfare and productivity. While fans of the grind culture advocate for more hours, leaders like Yardi are advocating for smarter, healthier work habits—viewing it as not just beneficial for individual employees, but for the organization as well.