‘If I give you 90 hours, will you give me 90 hours’ pay?’: 5 questions for INSEAD graduate amid workweek row at L&T

An INSEAD alumnus asked Indian companies five tough questions, questioning the 90-hour workweek narrative pushed by L&TS CEO N Subramanian.

Akshat Kharbanda’s pointed questions on LinkedIn resonated widely, casting doubt on the logic and fairness of these predictions.

“If I give you 90 hours, will you give me 90 hours’ pay? Promotions? Justice? Or just talk about ‘patriotism’? He asked, adding: ‘Let’s value results over hours, and people over optics.’

The controversy began when Subramanian defended mandatory Saturday working days, jokingly saying: “What are you doing sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? He made comparisons with China’s alleged 90-hour work ethic, claiming it was the key to economic dominance.

However, his comments failed to address whether these demands would include overtime pay or job security, a glaring omission highlighted by Kharbanda and others.

Kharbanda’s criticism went beyond rhetorical questions. “How much of this work is truly value-added, and how much is just performative preoccupation?” he asked, skeptical of the efficacy of the overwork culture.

He also challenged outdated comparisons with countries like China and Singapore, asking whether they still apply in the modern Indian context.

Nirmalya Kajori, a professor at IIT Mandi, added another layer to this debate, noting that many countries compensate professionals for overtime while Indian companies routinely ask for 50 to 60 unpaid hours.

“If India strictly enforces overtime pay for more than 40 hours of work, company chiefs will suddenly advocate for work-life balance,” he noted. His posts, which have been viewed nearly 400,000 times, drew attention to the lack of enforcement of overtime laws in India.

“Hard work is important when it comes to your growth, goals, and achieving meaningful results. But working solely to meet irrational expectations? Is neither effective nor sustainable,” Kharbanda wrote.