Here’s a follow-up message about 70-hour workweek from Catbert, the evil HR Director.
Dear Indians,
Greetings!
Before I start the sermon, I would like you to know that foot-in-the-mouth disease universally afflicts politicians and religious leaders. But, of late, this infection has also been transmitted to business leaders. Anyhow, Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy’s remark about 70-hour workweek was twisted, and taken out of context by the media. Therefore, I take this opportunity to clarify.
Tell me, if Deepak Chopra can dole out advice about spirituality and well-being, why can’t NRN (as an occasional speaker) dish out unsolicited advice about work? And what makes you think that he ignited this controversy about working long hours with an intent to impress Modi and join his cabinet as a labour minister?
Do you know that as a co-founder and CEO of Infosys, Mr. Murthy used to put in 80 to 90 hours a week? Why did he relentlessly slog such long and arduous hours? Surely, not for himself, not for fulfilling any worldly material desire. And of course, not for the shareholders either. It was solely meant to uplift the nation. And if this has worked for him, I do not see any reason why it should not work for you.
Call him crazy but he is not the only one. There are so many other business leaders who have dedicated their entire lives to the nation. Take for example Bhavish Aggarwal, the co-founder of Ola Cabs and founder of Ola Electric who is toiling 140 hours a week non-stop so that India can achieve in one generation what other nations took many generations. And there’s Sajjan Jindal, the Managing Director of JSW Steel who puts in 10 to 12 hours every day to make India an economic superpower.
And you lazy sloths shy away from even 50 hours a week, leave aside a 70-hour workweek. This is the very reason India is still a developing nation even after 75 years of independence and not being able to compete with countries like China and Japan.
Accept it or ignore it but the cardinal truth is that you’ll get salvation through work and work alone. Now please don’t give me that crap about work-life balance and the need for a trade-off between the two. You need to understand that work is not a means to an end but an end in itself. It is the life’s sole purpose. Work is life and life is work and it makes no difference whether you work for survival or seek self-fulfilment through work; and whether you’re working by choice or by compulsion.
And for those of you who still think there is life beyond work, it can wait. And if by chance, you still don’t get to live life in your old age, or say, you happen to depart early due to the silent killer called workplace stress, why worry? What’s the hurry? You can live it fully in your next avatar.
Never ever forget that the individual exists for the State and not the State for the individual. Therefore, change your life motto from ‘work to live’ to ‘live to work’ and make work a priority over your health, your family, your hobbies, and your happiness.
Dear Indians, I’m calling on you to rise to the occasion and sacrifice your life for the nation; somebody has to do it for future generations. If not you, who?
Let me also clarify that when you’re working for the nation, the reward becomes immaterial.
Coming to the question of productivity, haven’t you heard the proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a productive boy”? Yes, there’s a lot of wisdom in that and therefore your working hard will automatically increase India’s labor productivity. So just count the hours and not the outcome.
And for God’s sake, please don’t believe the ILO (International Labour Organisation) data which shows an inverse relationship between productivity and working hours, and that India has the longest working hours among the 10 largest economies but holds the lowest per capita GDP. I’ve every reason to suspect that those figures are made up.
I’m also aware of the 4-day workweek gaining momentum across Europe and yielding overwhelming success with no loss of productivity. But please understand it is part of a ploy by the Global North to hoodwink the Global South. The fact is that the only way to boost productivity is to work longer hours; innovation and working smart are just not enough.
Therefore, all Indian youngsters must say, ‘This is my country, I’d like to work 70-Hour a week.’ Once you make a commitment, everything else, including inspiration, will follow.
And lastly, please don’t get him wrong; the 70-hour workweek excludes commute time and lunch time. And those of you who are unemployed should keep yourself busy by digging a hole for the first 35 hours and filling it back in the next 35 hours. The work must go on!!
Love or hate the idea or call it modern-day slavery; I’ll make sure Mr. Murthy’s 70-Hour workweek proposal gets universal acceptance because India needs that.
I was and I remain an incorrigible optimist.
Jai Hind!
Catbert
(The Evil HR Director)
Now here’s a question for the reader: Guess who will be the first to turn in his grave—Adam Smith or Karl Marx?
Finally, what is the learning?
In a capitalist world exploitation— neither considered illegal nor immoral—is the norm rather than a deviation; it is the very lifeblood of a capitalist economic system.
In the end, we’re all idiots!
Disclaimer: This post is written by ChatGPT.
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