'I Don't Agree With Work-Life Balance': Ola CEO Backs 70-Hour Work Week; Doctor Warns of Premature Death

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has again backed Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work week advice, and said he does not support the work-life balance concept. Reacting to this, a top doctor said this could increase the risk of multiple serious diseases and even premature death.

“When Mr Murthy said that (70-hour work week), I was publicly in support of that and I got trolled on social media for that. But, I don’t care because I have a strong belief that one generation will have to do tapasya… so that we can build the number 1 country in the world, the largest economy,” the Ola CEO said in his latest Podcast.

In October 2023, Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy said that in order for India to compete with economies that have made tremendous progress in the past 2-3 decades, youngsters need to work 70 hours a week. It received a mixed reponse from the corporate and startup world.

Bhavish Aggarwal also said, “I don’t agree with the work-life balance concept because if you are enjoying your work, you will find happiness in life also and work also, and both of them will be in harmony.”

Reponding to this, Dr Sudhir Kumar, neurologist at Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad, said, “Working 55 or more hours per week is associated with a 35% higher risk of a stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week.”

More than 800,000 people die every year due to working for more than 55 hours a week, he added.

“Long working hours are associated with a higher risk of being overweight, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. People working 69 or more hours a week are more likely to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms than those working 40 hours a week,” Kumar said.

So, it is clear that working long hours is associated with increased risk of multiple serious diseases and even premature death, he said.

“CEOs are inclined to recommend long working hours for their employees to improve their company’s profits and their own net worth. If employees fall sick, they can be ‘easily substituted’,” the doctor added.