Last week Mr Narayan Murthy said that today’s youth should work 70 hrs a week. Post that there has been a tsunami of divided opinions from other stalwarts and commoners alike.
Some say it’s prudent for the ambitious growth plan of Bharat while some say it’s a sweatshop mentality. The assumption Mr Murthy has made is that every young person in the workforce today shares the same amount of passion as himself had. Maybe he hopes and believes that too.
It goes without saying that people who spend 70+ hrs working weekly are driven by passion or compulsion for survival. Passion could be for entrepreneurship, it could be for creativity, it could be for a social cause or could simply be for wealth creation. Passion could be for anything, for any cause that the individual may be dreaming, chasing, holding on to. It’s the single biggest driving force. No one tells PV Sindhu or Virat Kohli how many hours to practice. Virat Kohli will not compromise on his practice hours irrespective of whether he got out for a duck, or scored a century. He will be on the nets even more for all we know. They follow a strict regime and are driven by the steam of the passion that they live for – that is to do better and better. They set their own benchmark and break that in their next performance until the plateau has been achieved or they decide to retire. And maybe take up something new.
However, it’s utopian to expect that from everyone. Employees today are looking at work-life balance, quality family time, time to pursue their hobbies, travel. Whatever they pursue they would like to do it with a sense of satisfaction. Job for most, is a means to an end. As long as the performance parameters match, KPIs vs KRAs are fairly satisfactory, employees are fine at the professional front. At the personal level they are happy when EMIs for cars or home loans are taken good care of, the bank balance has a steady growth, and other life goals – fitness, travel, relationships do not get affected due to long hours at work.
A pay cheque against honest, optimal work is all they care about. Not many are here to be a superhuman to create something which would be considered path breaking or come up with an innovative startup idea.
If there is a better opportunity coming their way which offers anything in addition to what the existing job offers, they will be happy to grab that.
Media acts as an invisible element that constantly and intentionally hits our conscience.
Working 70 hrs a week or more with a commitment driven by passion is absolutely a personal choice. Mandating it, may result in an exodus of talent which will have a direct affect on the work culture. Ethical practices, innovation, social awareness, tolerance, freedom etc. are some of the things that should be inculcated in the workplace and in the youth of India. It also may have an effect on one’s health.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to make their passion their profession.
It would be interesting to note what percentage of students select a subject because they are passionate about it versus which stream has better job opportunities.
As for legends like Mr Murthy they set their own rules which a common person will always struggle to relate to.
About the Author:
Arghya Roy Chowdhury has been working more than 70 Hrs a week for the past two decades in his stint with Cognizant (CTSH) as a delivery director heading global delivery of SaaS platforms. He has quit his job and is planning to pursue his passion, live his dreams, enjoy life to the fullest. He has also agreed to offer his time and expertise to campusutra.com and be a part of our tech team. He can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/arghya-roy-chowdhury
