Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi advocates 47.5 hour work week; opposes weekend emails

Amid ongoing debates over ideal working hours, Capgemini India CEO Ashwin Yardi has advocated for a 47.5-hour work week while discouraging weekend emails to employees. Speaking at the Nasscom Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF), Yardi outlined his stance on work-life balance and productivity in the IT sector.

"Forty-seven and a half hours. We have about nine hours a day and five days a week," Yardi said in response to a question about the ideal weekly work duration. He emphasized that his guiding principle over the past four years has been to avoid sending emails over the weekend unless the issue can be resolved immediately. "There’s no point in giving ‘grief’ to an employee when the work cannot be completed on a weekend," he added, acknowledging that he personally does work on weekends at times.

Echoing a similar perspective, Nasscom Chairperson and SAP India head Sindhu Gangadharan stressed that outcomes should be prioritized over the number of hours worked. Marico CEO Saugata Gupta also weighed in, sharing that he focuses on results but does not shy away from sending emails at 11 PM when necessary.

The discussion comes amid contrasting views from industry leaders. Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy has been advocating for a 70-hour work week to boost India’s economic progress, while Larsen & Toubro Chairman S. N. Subrahmanyan has suggested an even longer 90-hour work week.

Yardi also highlighted the importance of adapting workplace policies to meet the expectations of younger employees, given the evolving demographic profile of IT professionals.