Narayana Murthy now says he worked 85-90 hours: But is it really productive?

livemint.com:

Also Read |India Inc divided as Narayana Murthy calls for 70 hour work week; Bhavish Aggarwal, Ronnie Screwvala weigh in It was his parents who taught him that working hard was the only way to escape poverty. According to him, this is when one gets the most productivity from each hour, the report further added. "During my entire 40-plus years of professional life, I worked 70 hours a week," he reiterated.

"When we had a six-day week - till 1994 - I used to work at least 85 to 90 hours a week. That has not been a waste," as quoted by Economic Times. Also Read | Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work week advice reaches Parliament, Govt tells MPs… Earlier in October, Murthy told Infosys' former CFO Mohandas Pai India must boost its work productivity to compete with China and Japan.

Earlier this year, Mint reported that a UK-based trial concluded that 'less work' has improved the productivity of the employees and their work-life balance. Britain conducted an experiment in over 60 companies, allowing almost 3,000 employees to work one day less per week while retaining the same salary. The study found more than nine out of ten firms will continue with the shortened working week or plan to do so due to an increase in efficiency and productivity.

Meanwhile, the idea of a 4-day working week is gradually gaining popularity in India as well. For instance, the Karnataka Assembly has passed a bill under which an employee who works for 12 hours a day will be allowed to take off for three days a week. As reported by Sora News 24, Microsoft Japan ran a trial in August 2019 in which employees were given paid holidays every Friday.