What happens when a top business leader proposes a 90-hour work week and mandatory Sunday work? The corporate world, which is already navigating the tightrope of work-life balance, breaks into a frenzy of memes and debates. That’s exactly what happened when L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan recently suggested a controversial shift toward longer work hours, calling for “hard work, discipline, and fewer holidays.”
The reaction? An online storm with #Staringsundays trending, as business leaders, entrepreneurs, and content creators took to social media to mock the idea. Let’s dive into the most memorable responses from corporate India.
The Spark: Subrahmanyan’s 90-Hour Workweek Remark
In a conversation that has now become infamous, L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan suggested that corporate India should work 90 hours a week and come to work even on Sundays to achieve success. His remarks were seen by many as outdated and out of touch with the changing dynamics of the modern workforce, where work-life balance is increasingly prioritized.
While his comments may have been intended to emphasize hard work, they were met with sarcasm, humor, and outright criticism from top industry leaders and corporate professionals.
The Viral Backlash: Corporate Leaders Respond with Humor and Sarcasm
The backlash began with memes flooding LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter). Business leaders, entrepreneurs, and even Venture Capitalists turned Sunday into a “Staring Day,” poking fun at the notion of sacrificing weekends for work.
Adar Poonawalla’s Playful Dig
One of the most prominent reactions came from Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla, who playfully responded on X (formerly Twitter):
“Even my wife Natasha Poonawalla thinks I am wonderful; she loves staring at me on Sundays. Quality of work over quantity always.”
Poonawalla’s witty remark set the tone for the viral trend, inspiring corporate leaders and professionals to share their own takes on staring at loved ones on Sundays instead of working.
Anand Mahindra on Work-Life Balance
Speaking at the National Youth Festival in New Delhi, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra also weighed in on the debate, emphasizing the importance of holistic living:
“Good decisions come from a holistic life, not from burning out with endless work hours.”
He added humorously:
“I’m on X not because I’m lonely. My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her.”
The Rise of #Staringsundays: Corporate India’s Sarcastic Response
The backlash turned into a meme fest, with business leaders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs sharing sarcastic posts and photos celebrating Sundays as “Stare Days”.
- BigBasket CEO Hari Menon humorously renamed the day as “Stareday”, saying:
“Hope everyone is enjoying their Stareday!” - Manish Agarwal (Ex-CEO, Nazara Technologies) shared a playful rhyme:
“Jo kartain hain bibi se pyaar; Woh kaise karain ‘Shri Subramanyam’ ki baat ko swikaar. #dontstarejustshare” - Ghazal Alagh, along with her husband Varun Alagh, joined the meme fest with a photo of themselves. “Sundays are for staring. Post yours with #Staringsundays.”
- Puneet Kumar (Steadview Capital Managing Director): Puneet Kumar posted a photo of himself staring at his wife, captioning it: “Staring at my wife on a Sunday morning after a good workout! What did you do on your Sunday?”
- Aashish Sharma (Capgemini EVP) shared a humorous take on Sunday productivity:
“Today is Sunday, or as we call it in corporate India, Staring at Your Wife Day. Highly unscientific studies have proven that staring at your wife improves productivity, mental health, and well-being. P.S. Please stare at your own wife. Staring at others’ wives can have unintended consequences!” - Sanjay Mehta (Co-Founder, Mirum India) expressed sympathy for L&T’s Corporate Communications team, who had to defend Subrahmanyan’s remarks: “I feel sorry for corporate communication teams in companies where media-untrained C-suite folks make embarrassing statements, forcing them to defend the indefensible. They probably need to work 90 hours a week to manage the damage!”
- Arjun Bhatia, Chief Marketing Officer & SVP Matrimony.com, sharing the image of a Coffee Cup on LinkedIn, said, Sunday spent productively…staring at each other and sharing a coffee
Corporate Leaders Call for Work-Life Balance
- Raj Nayak (Founder, House of Cheer Networks) stressed the importance of employee well-being:
“It’s not about how many hours you work but the quality of those hours. Happy employees are more productive.” - Meanwhile, Alok Kejriwal (Co-Founder & CEO, Games2win India) was more direct in his criticism:
“India Inc should boo leaders who promote unhealthy work culture. Fire them, so they discover 10,000 better things to do on a Sunday than work.”
Defending Hard Work: A Different Perspective
While most leaders criticized the 90-hour workweek, Nishit Kumar (MD, Centre for Social and Behaviour Change Communication) took a different stance, defending the hard work ethic of past generations:
“The India you enjoy today was built by the tireless work of a generation that created world-class institutions under immense challenges. Work-life balance is great, but can future generations match that legacy?”
Balance Over Burnout
The #Staringsundays trend highlights the growing demand for balance in the workplace. As Adar Poonawalla and Anand Mahindra pointed out, quality of work and a holistic life are more valuable than long hours and burnout.
The message from corporate India is clear:
“Staring at your loved ones on Sunday is better than staring at spreadsheets.”
