Work-Hour Debate: Adar Poonawalla Calls For Quality Over Quantity

Amid a growing national debate on work-life balance sparked by recent comments from industry leaders, Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer of Serum Institute of India, has emphasised the importance of unwinding and refreshing to maintain productivity. 

Speaking to NDTV on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Poonawalla stated that it is "not humanly possible" to sustain productivity beyond a certain number of hours.

"You have to work hard to build what you want to build and what you want to be," Poonawalla said, reflecting on his work during the pandemic. "But that's not for everyone. And you can't do that continuously. You have to have time to unwind, refresh, re-look at things."

He highlighted the necessity of balancing intense periods of work with rest, particularly in non-crisis situations.

Adar Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India (Image source: Cyrus Poonawalla group website)

Addressing the work schedule at Serum Institute, Poonawalla said the company adheres to standard eight-hour shifts with multiple teams to ensure operations run smoothly. "We have eight-hour shifts... So, we start at 7.30 in the morning, and at 4 o'clock, that shift ends, and the next one takes over," he explained.

Poonawalla's remarks come in the wake of controversial statements by other industry leaders, which have sparked widespread debate on social media. 

Larsen & Toubro Chairperson SN Subrahmanyan recently advocated for extended work hours, suggesting a 90-hour workweek and even jokingly lamenting that employees are not required to work on Sundays. "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working," Subrahmanyan had said, triggering backlash over employee exploitation.

Similarly, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy proposed a 70-hour workweek, stating that India's young workforce must embrace hard work for the country to reach its global potential. He later clarified that this should be a personal decision, not an imposed standard.

Commenting on these remarks, Poonawalla said they were likely made in a lighter vein and intended to highlight the value of hard work. However, he stressed the need for balance, stating, "Quality of work over quantity always."