The CEO of Capgemini India Advocates for a 47.5-Hour Workweek

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

27 Feb 2025 — 3 min read

Capgemini India CEO Pushes for a 47.5-Hour Workweek

Ashwin Yardi, CEO of Capgemini India, has argued for a more balanced approach to working hours in India and rejected the notion of an extended 70- to 90-hour workweek. "47 and a half hours" is how Yardi defended a 47.5-hour workweek when speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) in Mumbai. "Five days a week, we have roughly nine hours each day," he stated. According to a news outlet, he stated, "My guiding principle for the last four years is don't send an e-mail on a weekend even if it is an escalation unless you know you can solve it on a weekend."

Why is Yardi Promoting a 47.5-hour workweek?

Although Yardi admitted that he occasionally works on the weekends, he stated he avoids sending needless emails to staff members because doing so would simply lead to "grief" rather than any useful outcomes. Sindhu Gangadharan, the chairperson of Nasscom and the head of SAP India, highlighted at the same event that workplace productivity should be outcome-driven rather than determined by hours worked. While acknowledging that she occasionally sends emails late at night, Marico CEO Saugata Gupta expressed a similar view.

Yardi's comments coincide with a continuing discussion that was triggered by L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan's proposal for a 90-hour workweek and Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy's demand for a 70-hour workweek. In a recent conversation with staff members, Subrahmanyan confessed to not being able to force them to work on Sundays. "I'm sorry, but I can't have you work on Sundays," he remarked.

Accepting the Expectations of Young Minds

Given the demographics of IT workers, Yardi previously stated that it is critical for organisations to adjust to the demands of their younger workforce and outline the strategies they are implementing. While hard work is crucial, Vinay Dube of Akasa Air stated that he does not believe in the concept of working 70-hour weeks and that he does not expect others, particularly young professionals, to do the same. I do not want children to put in seventy hours of work. "How can I expect them to do it if I'm not doing it?" he asked. Dube emphasised the value of work-life balance since he thought that young people might advance their careers and still have personal lives. He went on to say, "I want people to have that perspective," emphasising that many individuals later regret not spending more time with their friends and family.

Murthy Dissecting from his Earlier Claim

The 78-year-old former tech CEO advocated for India's youthful labour to put in more hours at work in an October 2023 podcast, arguing that this would help the nation reach its full potential on a global scale. India has some of the lowest work productivity in the world, he claimed. "We won't be able to compete with those nations that have made great strides unless we increase our productivity at work, decrease government corruption to some extent (because we've been reading, I don't know the truth), and shorten the time it takes for our bureaucracy to make decisions.

Murthy, however, recently stated that no one should force someone else to work long hours and that such matters should be investigated. Murthy stated that no one should have the authority to impose lengthy work hours during his speech at the Kilachand Memorial Lecture in Mumbai on January 21. "I can state that I used to arrive at work at 6.20 am and depart at 8.30 pm. I have done it; that much is true. It's incorrect for anyone to say "no." I've been doing it for about 40 years. These, in my opinion, are not matters that need to be explored or argued. One can reflect on these concerns, absorb information, draw conclusions, and take any action they choose. That's it. Nobody can tell you if you should do something or not," he remarked.