[India] IT employees protest to demand healthier work-life balance

On March 9 in Bengaluru, India, IT sector employees gathered en masse to demand a healthy work-life balance, The Hindu reports.

The Karnataka State IT/ ITeS Employees Union (KITU) organised the movement which saw protesters rally under the slogan, “A healthy work-life balance is every employee’s right.”

The protest’s participants reportedly highlighted key demands, including enforcing daily working hour limits, ending the IT sector’s exemption from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, taking strict action against labour law violations, and implementing the “Right to Disconnect.”

One protester, Akash S. - who works for a U.S.-based startup - told The Hindu, “Countries like Australia  have already implemented a ‘Right to Disconnect’ law, empowering employees to refuse work-related communications outside of their usual working hours, without fear of penalty, aiming to improve work-life balance. We need a similar right here in India as well that prioritises the mental health of employees.”

Discussions about the work-life balance of corporate employees have intensified over the last year with a few key industry leaders defending long working hours. In 2024, Infosys founder N. Narayana Murthy advised India’s young employees to work 70 hours a week, saying he had done the same throughout his career. In January this year, he stated that no one could demand long hours at work, however, people should think about the issue and understand the necessity.

A statement made by the chairman and managing director of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited S.N. Subrahmanyan this January said that working hours must be extended to 90 hours per week, and asked employees to come to work on Sundays too rather than “staring at their wives” at home. According to The Hindu, this drew criticism from both within and outside the industry.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra reportedly replied saying, “My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her”. He stated that the focus should be on the quality of work rather than the quantity.

In addressing such demands and other issues in the sector, KITU leadership drew attention to various studies highlighting the adverse health effects of extended working hours on IT employees. Suhas Adiga - the Union’s general secretary - criticised the toxic work culture in the IT sector, where employees’ fundamental right to personal life is constantly under threat.

V.J.K. Nair - president of KITU - said, “The foreign multinationals prioritise exploiting our human resources while disregarding Indian laws. Our workers endure 70-hour weeks, yet they seek exemptions from labour regulations. We demand full enforcement of existing labour laws.”

Source: The Hindu

(Quotes via original reporting)

On March 9 in Bengaluru, India, IT sector employees gathered en masse to demand a healthy work-life balance, The Hindu reports.

The Karnataka State IT/ ITeS Employees Union (KITU) organised the movement which saw protesters rally under the slogan, “A healthy work-life balance is every employee’s right.”

The protest’s participants reportedly highlighted key demands, including enforcing daily working hour limits, ending the IT sector’s exemption from the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, taking strict action against labour law violations, and implementing the “Right to Disconnect.”

One protester, Akash S. - who works for a U.S.-based startup - told The Hindu, “Countries like Australia  have already implemented a ‘Right to Disconnect’ law, empowering employees to refuse work-related communications outside of their usual working hours, without fear of penalty, aiming to improve work-life balance. We need a similar right here in India as well that prioritises the mental health of employees.”

Discussions about the work-life balance of corporate employees have intensified over the last year with a few key industry leaders defending long working hours. In 2024, Infosys founder N. Narayana Murthy advised India’s young employees to work 70 hours a week, saying he had done the same throughout his career. In January this year, he stated that no one could demand long hours at work, however, people should think about the issue and understand the necessity.

A statement made by the chairman and managing director of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited S.N. Subrahmanyan this January said that working hours must be extended to 90 hours per week, and asked employees to come to work on Sundays too rather than “staring at their wives” at home. According to The Hindu, this drew criticism from both within and outside the industry.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra reportedly replied saying, “My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her”. He stated that the focus should be on the quality of work rather than the quantity.

In addressing such demands and other issues in the sector, KITU leadership drew attention to various studies highlighting the adverse health effects of extended working hours on IT employees. Suhas Adiga - the Union’s general secretary - criticised the toxic work culture in the IT sector, where employees’ fundamental right to personal life is constantly under threat.

V.J.K. Nair - president of KITU - said, “The foreign multinationals prioritise exploiting our human resources while disregarding Indian laws. Our workers endure 70-hour weeks, yet they seek exemptions from labour regulations. We demand full enforcement of existing labour laws.”

Source: The Hindu

(Quotes via original reporting)