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Infosys CEO Salil Parekh addressed concerns about the company's work environment and employee compensation during the Q3 FY25 earnings call on January 16, 2025. Mr Parekh's reaction came after a former Pune-based Infosys employee, Bhupendra Vishwakarma, said he left the company despite being the sole breadwinner for his family.
In his LinkedIn post, Mr Vishwakarma shed light on multiple grievances, including stagnant salaries despite a promotion, unfair distribution of workload, lack of career growth and a toxic client environment. He also pointed to regional bias and limited recognition and onsite opportunities as contributing factors in his decision to leave the company.
Mr Parekh faced pointed questions about employee concerns, including stagnant salaries and the company's approach to workforce management.
Asked about Mr Vishwakarma's claims, Mr Parekh stressed that Infosys was committed to fairness. “Within Infosys, we have a very clear approach to ensure everyone is treated fairly,” he said, adding, “We have a well-defined process for evaluating performance.”
Further pressed by a journalist on Vishwakarma's specific allegations, the Infosys CEO asserted that the company prioritised fairness and transparency in its internal processes.
His remarks came amid a raging debate over workplace culture in the corporate sector.
Apart from Infosys, even L&T is facing scrutiny for its work culture after Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocated for Sunday workdays. He even went to the extent of asking what employees gained from taking time off at home, saying, “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.”
The debate around work-life balance and extended work hours has elicited reactions from industry leaders and public figures. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra emphasised that the quality of work holds far greater value than the sheer number of hours spent at a desk.
Adding a personal touch to the discussion, Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO Radhika Gupta shared her experience in a post on X, saying that while she had worked long hours, it left her feeling “miserable” 90% of the time.
RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka also weighed in on the idea of a 90-hour workweek. In a post on X, he wrote, “90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty' and make ‘day off' a mythical concept!”
Even Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge joined the conversation, opposing the suggestion of excessively long working hours. He invoked the principles of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr BR Ambedkar, who had strongly advocated limiting workers to an eight-hour workday.