In Graphics | Which countries have the longest and shortest workweek? Where does India stand?

Late last week, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy stirred a debate when he urged youngsters in India to work 70 hours a week, in order to increase India’s productivity. Unsurprisingly, his comments during a podcast have evoked all sorts of reactions. Netizens slammed the Infosys founder, while some CEOs such as Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal agreed with him and said that employees needed to put in more hours at work. Murthy’s wife, Sudha Murthy, also joined the debate when she said: “He has worked 80 to 90 hours a week, so he does not know what less than that is.” Others questioned if longer work hours meant better productivity. For instance, RPG Enterprises chairman Harsh Goenka said: “It’s no longer about working 50 or 70 hours, but about your own ambition, your purpose, and your productivity.” He noted that the traditional five-day workweek structure is “dead” and batted for a hybrid work model, which according to him is both the “present and the future.” The ensuing row on number of work hours and productivity has got many asking – how many hours do employees across the world work? Which countries have the longest and shortest workweek?

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