Competence, not slavery

Do you need to be a slave to your job to be productive? Well, industry stalwart NR Narayana Murthy seems to think so. While the world is moving towards working fewer days/hours a week, the Infosys founder raised a storm by urging Indian youth to work 70 hours a week. While I laud his passion, there will be few takers to this thought.

Earlier, it was expected for the younger lot to put in more hours at the beginning of their career. As an intern and fresher, sometimes I would be the first to come to work and the last to leave. My personal quip is from my early days as a reporter when often in the fog-clad January streets of Delhi, only I, my cameraperson, and the street dogs would be found. Of course, I wasn’t the only one — many of my friends and peers remember spending long hours at work fuelled by enthusiasm, a genuine desire to learn, and a few unyielding bosses. Being a workaholic was a badge of honour; not anymore. The times have changed and so have priorities and pleasures. For one, the world itself has metamorphosed post-Covid. Youngsters are more aware and demanding of their ‘me time’, physical and mental health, and work-life balance, and why not! A rested worker is more useful to a company than a burnt out one. Consistently working 70 hours a week would also marginalise a majority of women workers who continue to juggle work, household chores, kids, and eldercare. And by jove, do we want more women joining the workforce rather than exiting it.

It’s also unnatural and utopian to expect the same level of dedication from all workers. Human beings at the workplace are a motley mix — the stars (who will overperform and strive to deliver at all costs), the mid-level cogs (consistent, reliable, but no mavericks here), the ‘I-will-only-do-so-much’ crew (who sing only that much for their supper), and the white elephants (better fired than retained). The kind of dedication that Mr Murthy speaks of is almost patriotic on the lines of what Germany and Japan achieved post-World War II. Our Indian youth have no respite from Instagram, travel, and actual ‘living’ to show that kind of commitment. And frankly, why should they? What is their incentive in putting in 12-hour shifts, 6 days a week? They are laid off in spite of hard work, the standard of living in Indian cities for young workers is still quite abysmal, everything is more expensive today than before, and tax burden is high. Why did the youth in Germany and Japan drown themselves in work? They didn’t know any better. They also didn’t have the awareness, exposure, or distractions of the current day.

I’m also intrigued by his allusion to World War II times. Why this comparison? Are we coming out of war-like times? Sure, there are bloody, unfortunate wars being fought around us, but India has stayed largely peaceful. Also, what have the previous generations led by stalwarts such as Mr Murthy achieved (or failed to achieve) in the last 70+ years that the onus of single-minded nation-building should fall on the current youth? And what is this addiction to growth at all costs. Why don’t we speak more about inclusiveness, quality standard of living, equanimity of opportunities irrespective of caste, religion, gender?

The discipline that Mr Murthy speaks of will be rare, mostly seen in overachievers, brilliant minds, ambitious folk, and yes, that lonely full-time serf called the entrepreneur. Everyone else is just doing a ‘job’ to pay bills, EMIs, and care for parents, kids, and self. And that’s fine too. You can motivate employees, give them perks and office off-sites, increments, and job security — but you’re either born with an inner zeal or you’re not. High output is witnessed on the factory floor where machines operate production lines and manufacture endlessly like clockwork.

Therefore, let me disagree with Mr Murthy and speak of efficiency driving productivity. The amount of goods and services produced (output) through per unit of input is productivity. I think this is what needs to improve among Indian youth. It’s not the number of hours spent at work but rather how effectively, speedily, and without error one works, that is of importance. Spending long hours at work doesn’t necessarily mean productivity. It could be spent in numerous ‘chai and sutta’ breaks, long lunches, office gossip, and mindless social media scrolling. Productivity must mean greater competence, better quality of output, and the ability to do more within the stipulated work hours. Sure, there will be times and certain kinds of jobs where hours get stretched, coordination with third-parties or clients take up time, or there are short periods of unavoidable over-time. But the goal should be to strive for a kind of discipline that enables task completion within the given period of time rather than outside of it. And how do we achieve it? Practice through repetition.

Indian youth must become more competent, meticulous, and punctilious — that’s what the Germans and Japanese are famous for.

The writer is an author and media entrepreneur. Views expressed are personal