‘We must enable employees’: ITC’s Sanjiv Puri shuts down L&T chief’s 90-hour week remark

ITC Limited chairman and managing director Sanjiv Puri has taken a measured stance on the recent debate surrounding long work hours, sparked by Larsen & Toubro chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan’s controversial ‘90-hour work week’ remark. Puri stated that ITC prioritises employee engagement and passion over clocking in hours, reinforcing the company’s commitment to a flexible work culture.

Speaking at an event in Delhi on Tuesday, which was reported by PTI, Puri said, “We would rather have people be a part of the company’s journey, feel passionately involved, and have an intrinsic urge to contribute meaningfully to the enterprise. That’s how we look at it.”

Moreover, Puri was unequivocal in responding to the issue of imposing a specific number of work hours. “We would not do that,” he said. He further highlighted that ITC, a diversified conglomerate headquartered in Kolkata, offers a flexible work environment, including the option to work from home twice a week.

“For us, it’s not about tracking the number of hours an individual puts in. It’s about enabling employees, helping them realise their potential, and assessing the impact of their contributions,” Puri added.

L&T’s 90-Hour Work Week Debate

Subrahmanyan’s comments, in which he lamented not being able to make employees work on Sundays and questioned how long one could "stare at your wife" at home, have drawn sharp reactions from business leaders like Anand Mahindra, Adar Poonawalla, and even actor Deepika Padukone.

“If you want to be on top of the world, you have to work 90 hours a week. Get going, guys,” Subrahmanyan had remarked, triggering widespread debate over work-life balance in corporate India.

In an attempt to clarify the intent behind his statement, L&T’s Head of HR for Domestic Operations, Sonica Muraleedharan, defended the chairman, stating that his words had been taken out of context. “SNS never implied or mandated 90-hour work weeks. His remarks were casual and have been misinterpreted, fuelling a controversy that doesn’t reflect his true intentions,” she said.