Gaurav Gogoi shared his disagreement with Narayan Murthy’s views on work-life balance

New Delhi:

After Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy reignited debates on work-life balance, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi responded on Wednesday and expressed his disagreement with the tech mogul’s statement supporting arduous, unrelenting hours of work – a “culture of overwork”.

Gaurav Gogoi countered Narayana Murthy’s beliefs that work-life balance is an indulgent myth and highlighted the perspective in which the traditional division of labor between men and women within the household is being challenged, in the context of work-life balance.

Mr. Gogoi shared his disagreement with Narayan Murthy’s views on work-life balance, known for his strong stance on the importance of work-life balance.

Gaurav Gogoi suggested that the concept of ‘work-life balance’ is not that simple or achievable for everyone, especially women.

Resuming his official speech on What is life other than taking care of your children, cooking for them, teaching them, taking care of elderly parents, being there for your friends in times of need, making sure your house is in order? , the above is just as much work of a man than that of a woman.

Mr. Gogoi describes life not only in terms of professional work, but also as a combination of various personal responsibilities: raising children, caring for elderly parents, running the household and supporting friends. This paints a picture of life as a balancing act between multiple roles, all of which are demanding and require time and energy.

Mr. Gogoi emphasizes an egalitarian vision in which men and women share the burden of maintaining the household and raising children.

Her message further read, “Traditionally, working women don’t even have the choice to part with their work. It’s a luxury that men traditionally have and must give up in the modern world.”

Mr. Gogoi suggests that in the modern world, men no longer have the same luxury of “cutting life off from work”, implying that men and women are now expected to manage their professional and personal responsibilities more equitably, and that the concept of work-life balance is a challenge for everyone, not just women.

Mr. Gogoi calls for a more equitable sharing of all roles within the family and in the workplace. His response comes after an X user shared an open letter to Narayana Murthy, respectfully disagreeing with his views on work-life balance.

“I respectfully disagree with you, sir, on work-life balance. Employees are not slaves. Working longer hours does not mean better productivity. Several countries have moved to a week-long 4 day job and do better Women don’t have the luxury of I work 70/80 hours a week either,” the user shared on X with an attachment of the letter.

Narayana Murthy, at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit, defended the 70-hour work week as essential to India’s economic rise.

“I don’t believe in work-life balance,” Narayana Murthy said, sparking debates on the subject.

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