Deepika Padukone Responds to L&T’s Chairman 90-hour work Statement

Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Chairperson SN Subrahmanyan recently triggered a controversy when he proposed that employees should work on Sundays, implying a work schedule of 90 hours a week. As he is seen in one of the videos on Reddit, he remarked, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays… If I can make you work on Sundays, I’d be more happy, because I work on Sundays also. How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working.”

This statement drew widespread criticism, most widely among the working class. People on the internet are calling to rethink minding the work-life imbalance and mental health. Bollywood actress and mental health advocate Deepika Padukone responded on Instagram by saying she was taken aback by such remarks coming from a senior executive. She commented, “Shocking to see such statements made by people in such senior positions,” adding the hashtag ‘Mental Health Matters’. 

L&T, while in response to all the backlash, came out with a clarification emphasizing the nation’s contribution and the elaborate effort expected to take shape in a massive way. Their statement read, “The chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, underlining that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort.” 

Deepika found the clarification falling short, saying, “And they simply made it worse…” 

The entire event triggered a larger debate regarding the significance of work-life balance, particularly in those areas where jobs are known for putting enormous pressure on employees. Advocates stress that while focus and commitment are vital qualities, they could not come at the expense of employees’ mental and physical well-being.

Read More: Achieving Work-Life Balance: Striving for an Equilibrium

Particularly relevant in India, which is considered to be the nation where a workplace normality is characterized by long hours, leading to burnout and other health-related issues, this drama lays emphasis on the notion that employees’ well-being should be kept focused on organizations, apart from productivity.

It raises alarm bells about health being suggested by L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan for a shocking 90 hours of work in a week. Indeed, such extreme hours of working have been found to take a toll on the physical and psychological well-being of an individual, causing chronic stress, burnout, and increasing susceptibility to various diseases. The health experts have warned that this type of work load is not only short-lived in terms of sustainability but is also bad for productivity over the long haul.

Is it Healthy?

This is by far very unhealthy, according to the general consensus among health professionals. Studies have shown that working beyond 55 hours a week increases your risk of stroke by 35% and dying by 17%, whose death is due to heart disease. Chronic stress is induced by prolonged hours, which stimulate the release of harmful hormones consequent to stressful conditions like cortisol. Elevated levels of this hormone can increase the blood pressure and heart rate, which increases the risk of heart disease and other serious health effects. Further, excessive working hours contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, which links to many other disorders like obesity, diabetes, and various metabolic disorders.

What Should Be Done Instead?

Healthy work-life balance must be encouraged by organizations by going for reasonable working hours that allow quality time for recharging and overall well-being of employees. Flexible work hour policies should also come into play, which would allow employees to spend time with family and friends or pursue other non-work interests. Another area to encourage productivity and diminish stress is breaks; encourage them having taken during the workday. In addition, creating a culture where mental health and well-being are prioritized enables an employee to be free to pamper himself or herself even when judgment or punishment is a threat.

Read More: Do You Think You Work Better Under Pressure?

The Work Burnout Duality

Overwork can be construed as a situation where the employee is required to put in more hours, as it leads to the state of burnout; that people recognize by physical and emotional exhaustion as well as mental tiredness. ‘Burnout arises when demands exceed an individual’s ability to manage them, often resulting in helplessness, cynicism, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. Overwork, as marked by the World Health Organization, is one of the occupational phenomena that affect both health and productivity’. 

Prolonged overwork keeps stress levels always increased, so one feels an out-of-sorts state of feeling in very limited energy and motivation on one day. Symptomatological manifestations of a rise in stress hormones, predominantly cortisol, due to endless demands of labor are weariness, irritability, and inability to concentrate. The long-term effects of stress on health-related physical symptoms range from headaches and muscle pain to various gastrointestinal disorders. 

A combined approach by employees or employers in providing occupational mental health should provide protection against burnout. Company employee discussions on the form of workload on mental well-being should be pure from the perception of internal repercussions. Individually, self-care strategies, including the development of realistic limits, regular procedures of physical activity, and social support, would aid in minimizing overwork crises. Proactive implementation of burnout will protect personal mental health and contribute positively to wellbeing.

How to Preserve Your Mental Health

Set Boundaries:

It is essential to define your work life from your personal life. Allocate specific hours for work-related tasks and attempt to follow this schedule to give yourself some time to unwind and attend to personal matters. Additionally, share boundaries with colleagues and supervisors to help create a supportive atmosphere regarding your time.

Prioritize Self-Care:

Regularly exercise, eat well and be mindful. Try out meditation, yoga, or anything else that promotes health and well-being, both physically and mentally. There should be self-care incorporated in the daily activities that would give you the power of resilience against stress and the resultant improvement in general satisfaction with life.

Seek Support:

Sharing one’s feelings with others provides an opportunity to relish a different view of the situation. One may sometimes need to talk with a friend, family member, or mental health professional. It is easier to get through difficult times with a tight circle of close friends who have come to work at something one is passionate about.

Take Breaks:

Include some ‘rest’ in little portions during the day-to-day schedule to renew your mind. Taking away one’s view, even for some seconds, improves concentration and reduces the level of stress. For instance, one can use the Pomodoro Technique, which focuses on an activity for a short period followed by a break.

Develop hobbies:

Schedule for activity engagement within free hours and days wherein you can spend time on hobbies or events outside the work sphere that bring you joy or frustration. Such as hobbies that have no relation to your job. Renew creative process and give your mind a healthy break, thereby boosting the problem-solving skills and increasing happiness as well as effectiveness in private and professional lives. Balanced employment and life means less stressful ways to manage workload, which will, as a result, make life worth living.

Conclusion

SN Subrahmanyan, the person in charge of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), seems to have created a controversy when he talked about a 90-hour work week. The thing is that he encouraged employees to work on Sundays and talked about the worth of time at home. His comments were met with huge public uproar bearing criticism from mental health advocates that there are many ways by which employees suffer for overindulging hours, including chronic stress and burnout. 

Health professionals have warned that such extreme workloads tend to reduce the productivity of an individual rather than increase it. In addition, they underlined the necessity for organizations to come up with a work-life balance. In terms of the response to the criticism, L&T had a clarification: extraordinary effort is needed for extraordinary results , but this did not persuade many, including actress Deepika Padukone. It depicts a much-coveted need. Companies should relook at the demands they make and build a culture that values mental health and personal fulfillment; and thus it will create more productive and involved employees.