ITC Chairman gave his opinion, said – flexibility and empowerment of employees is necessary

New Delhi| Commenting on the 90-hour working week controversy, Sanjeev Puri, Chairman, ITC Limited, said it is more important for employees to engage with the company’s broader vision than the number of working hours. “If you ask a mason what he is doing, he can say he is bricking, someone can say he is building a wall, but someone Can say he is building a palace. That’s the approach workers should have.”
Asked if he meant he didn’t want to indicate the number of hours worked at ITC, he said, “We won’t do that” Puri said, “We want people to be a part of (the company’s) journey and join it enthusiastically and feel the will among themselves to bring about change in the enterprise”. That’s how we see it.” He said the company, which deals in everything from cigarettes to consumer goods, allows a flexible work environment, including working from home two days a week.
Puri’s comments come after SN Subramanian, chairman and managing director of Larsen & Toubro Ltd, India’s largest engineering and construction company, said on social media that employees should work 90 hours a week, including Sundays, instead of sitting at home. “I’m sorry I can’t get you to work on Sunday”, Subramanian said in a video of a discussion with staff
“What do you do while sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife, and how long can a wife stare at her husband” The video was widely circulated on social media platforms X and Linkedin, sparking a heated debate over work-life balance.
“I know there has been a lot of debate on him (Subramanian), but let me tell you the philosophy that makes you see it”, Puri said After this he told how important it is to empower the employees about the vision and goals of the company. He said that the essence of ITC is vision, value and vibrancy. While Subramanian’s comments sparked a heated debate about work-life balance in the country, a Larsen & Toubro spokesperson last week said the chairman’s comments reflected the company’s “big ambition”.
“We believe this is India’s decade, a time seeking collective dedication and effort to advance progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation”, the company said in a statement The L&T chief’s views were criticized by some peers in the business community. RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka said that working for long hours does not cause success but fatigue.