Redefining cubicles

Dust seems to have settled on the furious debate triggered by Narayan Murthy's statement that the Indian youth needs to put in seventy hours of work every day if India is to realise its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. The intent behind Murthy's statement is quite clear, and I agree with his thought process. Nothing in life is achieved without persistent and dedicated hard work. If India is to keep its date with destiny, then its leaders, managers, and officers have to put in a lot of effort.

Many leaders from the corporate world came out vociferously in support of Murthy's statement. On the other side of the spectrum, many young managers were critical of this comment as they felt that this kind of work schedule would not leave any time for anything else and would completely destroy work-life balance. Incidentally, I was addressing students at a reputed management institute and deliberately raised this issue about Murthy's statement. I was surprised to find that the students were almost in unanimous agreement that seventy hours of work every week is neither possible nor desirable. They felt that this would seriously undermine the concept of work-life balance, lead to early burnout, disrupt family life, and even result in physical and mental health issues. On the other hand, I had a discussion with some senior-level corporate managers who not only strongly agreed with Murthy but also were very critical of the younger generation's attitude towards work.

I feel the statement has not been appreciated in its proper context. Seventy hours was just a number indicating that a lot of hard work has to be put in by the youth. It does not in any way say that one has to ignore one's responsibility to the family or health or any other aspect of life. It is simply talking about having a commitment to one's work and emphasising a truism that there is no substitute for hard work if an individual or a nation has to progress at a rapid pace.

It is true that the average working hours per week in Western nations are less than those prevailing in India. In fact, a country like France works 35 hours a week, whereas the corresponding figure for India is about 48-49 hours. It is thus true that Indians are working harder than their Western counterparts. However, it is also a fact that the productivity of the Indian workforce is much less, and as a nation, we are at a different level of economic development. The managers in developed countries assign great value to leisure, whereas India has not reached the stage where it can factor leisure as a necessary part of life.

Having established the significance of putting in hard work, I must point out that it is important not only to work hard but to work smart. If time is not managed properly and work is not efficiently organised, then any number of hours will not lead to better results. The idea is to get the maximum out of the effort made because this is the only way to enhance productivity, which is the essence of the problem facing India today. This requires a culture of developing leaders and not only managers. Of course, efficient management of human, financial, and technological resources to achieve the desired goals is necessary, but the current disruptive environment requires all our corporate managers and civil servants to perform at a different level and with a far greater degree of dynamism and responsiveness. They must inculcate the qualities of leaders. A leader must have a vision for the organisation or their department and have the capacity to align all members of their team with the goal. They should have the ability to motivate and inspire their team members to a higher level of performance. A culture of prompt decision-making is the need of the hour and the capacity to translate vision into reality. All this is possible only if the leader possesses excellent communication skills and has a positive problem-solving approach. The leader must be willing to take initiative to drive new ideas and encourage creativity in their team members. The leader today must not only be aware of the rapid technological changes taking place around them but also be able to understand them and harness them for the benefit of their organisation. The leader, to be more productive, must realise that it is people who should use technology and the fact that people skills are of paramount importance for the leader to be able to promise a better future for all. This requires the human resource in the organisation to be motivated and happy.

Happy employees are always more productive, and this is where it is necessary to see an employee not merely as a human resource but in a holistic manner as a human being. Qualities of emotional intelligence, and in particular those of empathy and compassion, are required to make each member of the team feel valued and given the self-belief to perform at their best. This means that the issue of work-life balance needs to be addressed in a positive manner because a human being cannot be made to perform like a machine.

There is a trend in many organisations to put excessive pressure on managers by setting impossible deadlines and creating a toxic work culture. This leads to mental health issues due to stress and anxiety and eventual burnout, which is detrimental not only for the manager but also for the organisation. Besides, an organisation must give time and space for a manager to grow by developing their innate strengths and learning new things. Time must be given to sharpen the saw for better results. Moreover, creativity requires a manager to be away from the constant pressure of daily work and think freely. This is possible only if the work environment is conducive to the development of new ideas, and the manager also feels inner peace and harmony to think creatively.

The question, then, is not about the number of hours of work put in but the results that you get out of the work. Greater and better results are possible if the work culture is participative, creative, and non-hierarchical. India has a young workforce, and it must reap the demographic dividend if it is to join the group of developed nations. It must get the best performance out of its youth. This is possible only if the work culture is congenial, and the workforce is enthused about its work. We need a happy work environment to make the workforce more productive and propel the organisations and the country to a faster and higher track of growth.

The writer is an ex-Chief Secretary, Govt of Uttar Pradesh. Views expressed are personal