You can change the world in 10 hours: Anand Mahindra on work-life balance

New Delhi: Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said on Saturday that quality of work, not the quantity, is the key towards realising the ‘Viksit Bharat’ goal, as he touched upon the ongoing debate on the work-hour balance triggered by the country’s top corporate leaders.

Speaking at the ‘Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2025’ event in the national capital, Mahindra told a packed house that this debate is going in the wrong direction.

“I have huge respect for Narayana Murthy and other corporate leaders. My point is that we have to focus on the quality of work, not on the quantity of work. So it’s not about 70 or 90 hours at work,” quipped the business leader.

Anand Mahindra further stated that it depends on the output of the work and “you can change the world in 10 hours.”

When asked about how many hours he puts in at work, he said: “I don’t want it to be about the time. I don’t want it to be about quantity. Ask me what’s the quality of my work. Don’t ask me how many hours I work”.

According to him, his source of renewable energy is to “recharge my batteries by interacting with young people”.

“Today, I lived up to all my hope, so my batteries are fully charged. It was a wonderful event,” he said.

The controversy over work-life balance erupted this week after L&T Chairman S.N. Subrahmanyan suggested employees to work 90 hours a week, including Sundays.

After facing backlash, the company said the Chairman’s remarks reflect the larger ambition of nation-building, “emphasising that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort”.

From Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone to Harsh Goenka, Chairperson of the RPG Group, top celebrities condemned Subrahmanyan’s remarks.

Meanwhile, the Department of Youth Affairs is organising the ‘Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue’ from January 10-12 at Bharat Mandapam here. The event, which is a reimagination of the National Youth Festival, aims to provide a unique platform for youth to present innovative solutions for ‘Viksit Bharat’.

IANS