When Narayana Murthy made waves with his 70-hour work-week idea, most of us hoped corporate India would acknowledge the backlash and ignore this advice. But nope, no such luck. Instead, we got something even wilder – S.N. Subrahmanyan, L&T Chairman, advocating a 90-hour work-week.

When asked in an interview about employees working on Saturdays, Subrahmanyan said if he could, he would make employees work on Sundays too. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he topped it off with the gem: “How long can you stare at your wife?” Naturally, the internet exploded. Memes, rage, and eye-rolls galore took over as people called out not just the absurdity of a 90-hour week but also the ridiculousness of the statement itself.

Outrage at 90-hour week

A significant chunk of the internet was seething with fury. People called out the unrealistic and unhealthy expectations being promoted under the guise of patriotism. One user didn’t mince words, saying:

“India will become a cardiac disease hub if we follow Subbu and Nary’s advice.”

Others weren’t shy about pointing fingers at the broader attitude of corporate leaders, with one commenter saying:

“These guys actually think their employees are slaves and feel like they are doing them a favour paying them wages.” 

The demand for longer hours hit a nerve, with some calling for government intervention and fairer labour policies. 

“Bring wages per hour rule, and these a****les don’t want you at their offices even for 5 days, let alone work on Saturdays or Sundays.” 

The sarcastic snipers

Ah, sarcasm – the internet’s favourite weapon. The L&T Chairman’s statement about “staring at your wife” on Sundays got on a lot of people’s nerves. While some got furious, others took a more cheeky route. 

One user couldn’t resist mocking the tone-deaf remark:

“Does he really think that a common man takes a day off to stare at his wife? Or was he trying to be witty? 

And let’s not forget the creative solutions offered with a sharp edge of irony. One person suggested:

“For a company with such large ambitions, they should aim to double the workforce and make three-day weekends mandatory.”

One person sarcastically sympathised with the PR team tasked with damage control:

“Feel bad for the HR that has to defend sh*t like this. I can almost imagine them in a room saying, ‘Oh sh*t, how do we cover this one up now?’”

The realists and their opinions

Then there were the voices of reason, albeit peppered with frustration. These responses pointed out the sheer impracticality of the proposal and the disconnect between executives and their employees. One realist summed it up perfectly:

“He works way less compared to his pay grade. His employees already work beyond theirs.” 

Another cleverly highlighted the difference between working hard and working smart, saying:

“Extraordinary effort requires extraordinary compensation.”

Memes all the way

Memers wasted no time turning the L&T Chairman’s statement into a meme fest. From jokes about staring competitions with their partners to targeting Narayana Murthy as well, social media is flooded with hilarious takes that perfectly capture the absurdity of the statement. Let’s just say, the internet’s sense of humour is working overtime.

 

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If the internet’s reaction proves anything, it’s that the days of glorifying overwork are behind us. Employees want balance, respect, and fair compensation, not to be treated like machines. As one user so aptly put it:

“He thought he would look like a patriot with this idiotic statement.”

It’s clear that the Indian workforce isn’t buying into the old-school hustle culture anymore. The message for corporate leaders? Work smarter, not harder – and maybe learn how to read the room.

Related: Anna Sebastian’s Tragic Death Due To EY’s Workload: Here’s What Redditors Reveal About The Big 4