Zomato joined the 90 hour work week debate on Sunday with an alternative to ‘staring at your wife’. The remarks came amid continued outrage over Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s call for lengthier office hours and working weekends.
“In case you don’t have a wife, feel free to stare at your order arriving on the app,” the food delivery company suggested.
Subrahmanyan had courted controversy earlier this week after a video of him advocating a 90-hour work week went viral. The remarks have also re-ignited the work-life balance debate that began in 2024 after Narayan Murthy endorsed a 70 hour work week.
“How long can you stare at your wife? I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays. If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy, because I work on Sundays,” he can be heard saying in the undated clip.
The remarks have since sparked a meme fest on social media platforms with many joining the ‘staring at your wife on Sunday’ trend. Others including businessman actor Deepika Padukone have stressed the need to prioritise mental health and ensure a healthy work-life balance.
“My wife is wonderful. I love staring at her,” said businessman Anand Mahindra.
Mahindra also stressed the need to put quality over quantity — noting that the world could be changed even in 10 hours. He also stressed the need to have a mind that is “exposed to holistic thinking” and the need for people from different backgrounds like engineers and MBAs to study arts and culture to be able to make better decisions.
“If you’re not spending time at home, if you’re not spending time with friends, if you’re not reading, if you don’t have time to reflect, how will you bring the right inputs into making a decision?” he asked.
“Yes Anand Mahindra, even my wife Natasha Poonawalla thinks I am wonderful. She loves staring at me on Sundays. Quality of work over quantity always. #worklifebalance,” added Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla.
“But sir, if husband and wife don’t look at each other, how will we remain the most populous country in the world,” wondered Shaadi.com founder and Shark Tank judge Anupam Mittal.
(With inputs from agencies)
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