Stop promoting work-life balance; Work 14 hours daily from Mon to Sat, says Narayana Murthy again

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy once again stressed the importance of working 14 hours daily and the fact that throughout his life he has worked over 14 hours daily six and a half days a week. At the CNBC Global Leadership Summit, Narayana Murthy said that he doesn’t believe in work-life balance. And for true progress of India as a country, people will need to dedicate 14 hours daily at least to their work. 

Narayana Murthy went ahead and expressed his disappointment with India adopting a 5 days work week from 6 days work week in 1986. He stressed that the reduced work may affect the growth of India. “We need to work hard in this country. There is no substitute for hard work. Even if you are the most intelligent guy, you have to work hard,” he said. 

Stop promoting work-life balance

Giving an example of his work routine, Narayana Murthy said that he worked over 14 hours daily until he retired. His work routine was simple- start work at 6.30AM and finish at 8.40PM for six and a half days a week. 

Narayana Murthy praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the hard work he and his cabinet and bureaucrats put in for India. He mentioned, “When PM Modi is working 100 hours a week, the only way to show our appreciation for the things that are happening around us is by our work.” Narayana Murthy wants all Indians to put in the extra work hours and dedication for the growth of India. 

He is said that he was proud of working 14 hours a day for his entire life and that he believes that personal sacrifices are required to achieve bigger goals like national development. 

Narayana Murthy further reiterated that India as a country has many socioeconomic challenges and Indians should be more focussed on the development of the country instead of opting for work-life balance.