Rishad Premji Bats For Work-Life Balance Even As Narayana Murthy Reaffirms 70-Hour Workweek Stand

As India Inc weighs on the importance of work-life balance, Wipro Ltd. Executive Chairman Rishad Premji has emerged as a vocal supporter of the concept, as he is of the view that it helps the workforce.

Premji, while speaking at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024 on Tuesday, said he believes in the concept of work-life balance and considers it as "incredibly important".

Even before the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, said Premji, he believed that work-life balance is something that people have to define for themselves. "Organisations are never going to work at it for you. So you have to define what it means and draw boundaries," the Economic Times quoted him as saying.

“The concept of what it means is simply not ours, it is also the freedom of what I can do with my time while at work, but not working," he added.

Premji's views on the concept do not reciprocate that of NR Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys Ltd., who recently reaffirmed his stand on "70-hour workweek".

While speaking at the CNBC-TV18 Global Leadership Summit on Saturday, Murthy said his view that Indians should work 70 hours each week—a contentious suggestion he first made in October last year—remains unchanged.  “I am sorry, I have not changed my view. I will take this with me to my grave,” he said.

Murthy also expressed disappointment over India's shift to a five-day week from a six-day week in 1986.

Premji, who spoke at the Bengaluru Tech Summit four days later, not only supported work-life balance, but also reportedly said that a hybrid work model helps the workforce.

The Wipro executive chairman said that managers in his company are trained to be sensitive towards the concerns of employees. They are encouraged to have open conversations with the staff on work-life balance, he added.

Notably, Premji's remarks comes in the backdrop of several information technology companies ending the work-from-home option and directing employees to return to the office.