70 Hours Work Debate: Do Companies Buy Furniture For Long Working Hours? Godrej Interio Answers This

Leading office furniture brand Godrej Interio has ‘never’ been approached by any corporate client asking for solutions to help an employee put in elongated work hours, a top official said on Tuesday.

This comes after a number of people reacted to Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy’s statement, which triggered a flutter by suggesting a 70-hour work week to help in faster growth of the economy.

Corporate clients are more focused on making employees more productive, ensuring that they work as a team and also aspects like sustainability, Godrej Interio’s parent firm Godrej & Boyce chief executive Anil Verma told news agency PTI.

“The short answer is… I never got a customer saying ‘I want my people to work so many hours’,” Verma said, replying to a specific question if the company has seen corporates seeking such help.

Soon after Murthy’s statement, several individuals including industry leaders reacted on it.

Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises shared his opinion on the ongoing debate. He posted on the social media platform X, writing that hybrid work is the present and the future and 5-day office week is dead.

“The 5-day office week is dead! People are working nearly 33% of their office time remotely, and it’s a game-changer. Flexibility is worth as much to people as an 8% raise. What we value most is skipping the daily commute and the sense of flexibility!” Goenka said October 30.

Tech Mahindra MD and CEO C P Gurnani said Murthy did not say work 70 hours for the company but he meant work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself.

“I believe when he (Narayana Murthy) talks of work, it’s not limited to the company.. it extends to yourself and to your country.. He hasn’t said work 70 hours for the company – work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself.. Invest the 10,000 hours that makes one a master in one’s subject.. burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field,” Gurnani said in a post on X.

(With agency inputs)