Devina Mehra pans Nilesh Shah's 84-hour workweek idea as ‘bunkum’— ‘reduces productivity’, damages 'family dynamics’
Kotak AMC CEO Nilesh Shah's suggestion of working 84 hours a week for nation-building, calling it “impractical and counterproductive". She highlighted research showing that excessive work hours reduce productivity and harm physical and mental health.
She also pointed out the negative impact on family dynamics, particularly for women, and argued that sustainable economic growth requires greater female workforce participation. Additionally, she noted that while skill mastery requires dedication, it doesn't necessitate extended office hours.Shah has said in a podcast that one generation of Indians needs to put in a few extra hours as Koreans, Japanese, and Chinese do so that India grows at a faster pace.
They work for 12 hours a day every day, every month and every year.Devina Mehra, a market veteran, rejected the idea. In a tweet on X, she wrote: Let me say this as politely as I possibly can.This type of recommendation of working 84 hours a week for 'nation-building' is bunkum and makes absolutely no sense.1.
Research shows that increasing the number of hours of work beyond a point (and certainly that point is far before 84 hours) reduces productivity substantially. The human mind (or body) is simply not capable of focused, good-quality work for that long - at least on a regular basis.Not to speak of the toll it takes on physical and mental health.Anecdotally, I remember from my days in Citibank which had a late working culture (barring exceptions like Aditya Puri who always left at 5:30 sharp
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