Ola CEO Advocates 70-Hour Work Week; Doctor Warns of Health Risks and Premature Death

After Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal backed Infosys founder Narayana Murthy's 70-hour work-week advice, a top neurologist on Friday warned that it could increase the risk of several serious diseases and even premature death. Murthy had, in 2023, said that if India wants to compete with developed economies that have made remarkable progress in recent decades, youngsters should work for 70 hours a week. In a recent podcast, Bhavish reignited the debate on the 70-hour work week, saying that he is "fully in sync" with his advice.

"Working long hours is associated with increased risk of multiple serious diseases and even premature death," said Sudhir Kumar, from Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, in a post on social media platform X.com.

Citing several scientific studies the doctor said that "working 55 or more hours per week is associated with a 35 per cent higher risk of a stroke and a 17 per cent higher risk of dying from ischemic heart disease, compared to working 35-40 hours a week".

Further, working for more than 55 hours a week kills more than 8,00,000 people every year, he said. Long working hours also raise the risk of being overweight, prediabetes, and Type 2 diabetes -- a precursor to many diseases and early death. "People working 69 or more hours a week are more likely to have moderate to severe depressive symptoms than those working 40 hours a week," he said.

"CEOs are inclined to recommend long working hours for their employees to improve their company's profits and their own net worth," the neurologist said. He added that in the case "where employees fall sick, they can be easily substituted". "It is in your best interest to choose an organisation that cares for employees and recommends reasonable working hours- to ensure a better work-life balance," he said.