“Spending 12 Hours At Desk…”: What Eco Survey Said Amid Work Week Debate

Amid a raging debate over a 70-90 hour work week, the Economic Survey presented in Parliament on Friday noted that spending more than 55-60 hours a week on work could adversely affect health.

The Survey, citing studies, also said that spending long hours at the desk is detrimental to one’s mental well-being. Individuals who spend 12 or more hours daily at a desk have distressed or struggling levels of mental well-being, it said. 

“While the hours spent at work are informally considered a measure of productivity, a previous study has documented adverse health effects when hours exceed 55-60 per week,” the Survey said, citing findings by Pega F, Nafradi B (2021) and ‘A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury’.

Citing data from a study done by the Sapien Labs Centre for Human Brain and Mind, the Survey said: “Spending long hours at one’s desk is equally detrimental to mental well-being. Individuals who spend 12 or more hours at a desk have distressed/struggling levels of mental well-being, with a mental well-being score approximately 100 points lower than those who spend less than or equal to two hours at a desk.” 

Better lifestyle choices, workplace cultures and family relationships are associated with two to three fewer days lost per month at work, the Survey said. 

The findings come at a time amid a fierce debate, initially triggered by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, on the work hour week.

In November, Mr Murthy sparked a huge outrage through his remarks that he “doesn’t believe in work-life balance”. 

Soon after, Larsen & Toubro Ltd Chairman and Managing Director S N Subrahmanyan said that employees should work 90-hour a week, including on Sundays, rather than sit at home.

The industrialists’ remarks drew criticisms from several people, including peers in the business community. Many questioned the fairness and ethics of such an extreme and demanding work model. 

RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka said longer working hours was a recipe for burnout and not success. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said the focus should be on the quality of work and productivity rather than the amount of time spent working. 

Bajaj Auto Managing Director Rajiv Bajaj suggested that the practice of working for long hours – if at all required to be followed – must start from the top. “Number of hours of work doesn’t matter, the quality of work does. We need a kinder, gentler world more than ever before,” he added. 

The Survey, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, also said having poor relationships with managers and low (worst) pride and purpose at work are associated with the largest increases in the number of days one is unable to work.

It, however, pointed out that multiple factors affect productivity, stating that even in jobs with the best managerial relationships, about five days per month are lost “because workplace culture is but one factor (among several) in the determination of productivity (and mental well-being)”. 

The Survey, discussed in detail, the impact of working long hours on mental health. 

Hostile work cultures and excessive hours spent working at the desk can adversely affect mental well-being and ultimately put the brakes on the pace of economic growth, it said. 

Citing a study by the World Health Organization, the Survey said that globally, about 12 billion days are lost annually due to depression and anxiety, amounting to a financial loss of 1 trillion US dollars.

“In rupee terms, this translates to about Rs 7,000 per day,” it noted.
If India’s economic ambitions are to be met, then immediate attention must be given to lifestyle choices that are often made during childhood and youth, it added. 

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk too has been a believer in tough working hours. “There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week,” Mr Musk had said in 2018.

The Economic Survey is an annual document presented by the government ahead of the Union Budget to review the state of the economy. The document also provides an overview of the short-to-medium-term prospects of the economy.
 

​Amid a raging debate over a 70-90 hour work week, the Economic Survey presented in Parliament on Friday noted that spending more than 55-60 hours a week on work could adversely affect health.   

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