Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi Bats For 47.5-Hour Workweek, No Weekend Emails

Amid the ongoing debate on work hours, Capgemini Technology Services India Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Ashwin Yardi has backed a 47.5-hour workweek while advocating against sending emails to employees on weekends.

Speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum, Yardi said, "Forty-seven and a half hours. We have about nine hours a day and five days a week." He stated that his guiding principle for the past four years has been to avoid weekend emails, unless the issue can genuinely be resolved over the weekend.

While he admitted to occasionally working on weekends himself, Yardi said he refrains from emailing employees to avoid adding unnecessary stress when the work cannot be completed immediately.

His comments come in contrast to Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy's push for a 70-hour workweek and Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan's call for 90-hour workweeks.

In a conversation with NDTV Profit, Akasa Air's Vinay Dube expressed that while hard work is important, he doesn't subscribe to the idea of working 70-hour weeks, and he doesn’t expect others, especially young professionals, to do so either. "I don’t want youngsters to work 70 hours. If I’m not doing it, how can I expect them to," he said.

Dube stressed on the importance of work-life balance, believing that young professionals can achieve career growth while maintaining personal lives. "I want people to have that perspective," he added, highlighting that many people, in hindsight, regret not spending more time with their families and friends.

Nasscom Chairperson Sindhu Gangadharan, who leads SAP India, stressed that outcomes matter more than work hours. Marico CEO Saugata Gupta echoed this sentiment but admitted to sending emails as late as 11:00 p.m.

Yardi also highlighted Capgemini’s efforts to align with younger employees' expectations, including quarterly promotion cycles, six-week employee surveys, and structured career paths.

(With inputs from PTI)