Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi backs 47.5-hour workweek, rejects weekend emails for better work-life balance

Weighing in on the ongoing debate over working hours, Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi has voiced his support for a 47.5-hour workweek while opposing the practice of sending emails to employees over the weekend. Speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF), Yardi underscored the importance of work-life balance in the IT sector.

He highlighted the need for a structured workweek, proposing a nine-hour workday across five days. For the past four years, Yardi has followed a personal principle of avoiding weekend emails, even in urgent situations, unless the issue can be resolved within that time frame. While he admitted to occasionally working on weekends himself, Yardi argued against creating unnecessary stress for employees when tasks cannot be completed during that period.

His stance contrasts sharply with the views of industry veterans like Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, who recently called for a 70-hour workweek, and Larsen & Toubro chairman S N Subrahmanyan, who suggested an even more intense 90-hour workweek.

At the same event, Nasscom Chairperson Sindhu Gangadharan, who also leads SAP India, emphasised that productivity should be measured by outcomes rather than the number of hours worked. Echoing this sentiment, Marico CEO Saugata Gupta supported an outcome-driven approach, though he acknowledged sending emails as late as 11 PM when necessary.

Yardi also stressed the need for organisations to meet the evolving expectations of younger employees, given the shifting demographic profile of the IT workforce. Capgemini, he added, has implemented strategies like quarterly promotion cycles, six-week employee surveys, and comprehensive career mapping to align with the aspirations of its staff.