Burnout crisis grips India's IT sector: 25% of professionals work 70+ hours weekly: Report

A recent survey reveals that 72% of Indian IT professionals exceed the legal 48-hour workweek, with 25% working over 70 hours weekly, leading to high levels of burnout. Industry pressure to overwork is fuelling a cycle of exhaustion and discontent.

By  Storyboard18Apr 2, 2025 10:30 AM
Burnout crisis grips India's IT sector: 25% of professionals work 70+ hours weekly: Report
The survey also revealed a broader concern over the pressure to overwork, with 75% of IT professionals feeling personally or observing co-workers facing expectations to exceed the standard workweek. (Image: Unsplash)

India's IT sector is facing an alarming crisis as long working hours become the norm, with a significant number of employees routinely exceeding the legal 48-hour workweek.

A survey conducted by Blind, an anonymous community app for professionals, surveyed 1,450 verified IT professionals in India between March 12-19, 2025, and the findings shed light on the extreme pressures many in the sector face.

A staggering 72% of IT professionals report working beyond the legal limit, and 25% are clocking in 70 hours or more each week.

This gruelling schedule is taking a toll on mental health, with 83% of respondents reporting burnout. In fact, employees at companies with the longest work hours, such as Cisco, Amazon, ServiceNow, Walmart, and VMware, report burnout rates that exceed 90%.

Top tech giants are among the worst offenders. The survey identified companies like Confluent, Intuit, UiPath, Adobe, Uber, InMobi, Salesforce, Walmart, and Microsoft, where a large majority of employees routinely work beyond the 48-hour mark.

In some companies, up to 42% of employees are working over 70 hours per week.

Despite the intense workload, many IT professionals feel there is no reprieve. A significant 68% of respondents stated that they feel obligated to respond to work-related messages outside of office hours. This reflects a persistent "always-on" culture that was amplified during the pandemic but has since become ingrained in the workplace.

The expectation to be constantly available, coupled with the pressure to overwork, is contributing to a vicious cycle of exhaustion.

The survey also revealed a broader concern over the pressure to overwork, with 75% of IT professionals feeling personally or observing co-workers facing expectations to exceed the standard workweek.

The constant pressure to put in extra hours, regardless of its impact on productivity or well-being, is a major contributor to burnout across the sector.

Adding to the frustration are comments from industry leaders like Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, who have publicly endorsed working 70-90 hours a week.

Such statements have sparked backlash from professionals on Blind, with one verified NVIDIA employee stating, “Never understood their obsession with ‘working hours.’ Such morons," the report added.

First Published on Apr 2, 2025 10:30 AM

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