A recent statement by the Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman S N Subrahmanyan asking employees to work even on Sundays has sparked widespread criticism.
In a video, Subrahmanyan is seen asking how long can you keep staring at your wife at home as he favoured working on Sundays also.
Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone was among the first to react, sharing her disapproval on Instagram calling the statement “shocking”. She added the hashtag #MentalHealthMatters. Further the L&T released a clarification which failed to pacify Padukon, as she wrote, “And they just made it worse…”
Business leader Harsh Goenka also took a stand against the idea of extended work weeks, mocking the concept of renaming Sunday as ‘Sun-duty’. He warned against burnout, stressing that work-life balance is “essential, not optional”.
Jwala Gutta, former badminton champion called Subrahmanyan’s comments as “misogynistic” and “disappointing”.
“It’s sad that educated people in powerful positions fail to take mental health seriously,” she said.
Notably, in its defence, L&T had issued a statement emphasising its commitment to ‘nation-building’ and described Subrahmanyan’s remarks as reflective of their vision to achieve extraordinary outcomes.
“The chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward,” said the Larsen and Toubro spokesperson.
“This is India’s decade, demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress,” read the statement.