Stop promoting work-life balance; Work 14 hours a day from Monday to Saturday, says Narayana Murthy

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy once again emphasized the importance of working 14 hours a day and in fact throughout his life he worked more than 14 hours a day, six and a half days a week. In CNBC Global Leadership SummitNarayana Murthy says he doesn’t believe in work-life balance. And for India to truly progress, people will need to devote at least 14 hours a day to their work.

Narayana Murthy went ahead and expressed disappointment with India’s adoption of a 5-day work week instead of a 6-day work week in 1986. He emphasized that job cuts could affect development of India. “We need to work hard in this country,” he said. Nothing can replace hard work. Even if you are the smartest person, you have to work hard.”

Stop promoting work-life balance

Giving an example of his work habits, Narayana Murthy said he worked more than 14 hours a day until his retirement. His work routine is simple – starting work at 6.30am and finishing at 8.40pm for six and a half days a week.

Narayana Murthy praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the hard work he, his cabinet and officials have put in for India. He mentioned, “When Prime Minister Modi works 100 hours a week, the only way to show our appreciation for the things going on around us is with our work.” Narayana Murthy wants all Indians to spend more working hours and contribute towards India’s development.

It is said that he was proud to have worked 14 hours a day throughout his life and that he believed that personal sacrifice was necessary to achieve larger goals such as national development.

Narayana Murthy further reiterated that India is a country with many socio-economic challenges and Indians should focus more on the development of the country instead of choosing work-life balance.