Anna Sebastian Perayil
The MNC’s India president responded to Anna’s letter by offering his condolences to his grieving parents; he also denied that work pressure was the (sole) reason for Anna’s untimely death during a short tenure of just four months in the company, according to the report. “I am really sorry that we were not able to attend Anna’s funeral. This is completely out of our culture. This has never happened before; it will never happen again,” he posted on LinkedIn.
Anna’s cousin Sunil George Kuruvilla, assistant director- Acuity Knowledge Partners, revealed in a September 20 LinkedIn post that Anna was set to get married this year. “After the news of her death, I called her grandfather. With a broken voice, we spoke at length. I didn’t cry, not even when he told me her wedding was scheduled for this month. Sometimes tears are not enough,” he wrote—a statement that makes one wonder if what happened to Anna could have happened to any of us, at any time.
Taking this particular incident into consideration, the Union Labour Ministry is now investigating Anna’s death and its connection to his workplace. Meanwhile, this particular incident of the impact of excessive pressure and stress at the workplace on one’s life is resonating with many working professionals in India. It has become a topic of national debate- is the workplace environment in India too harsh? Are long working hours exploiting employees? How much work is too much?, and much more.
Coincidentally, a few months ago N.R. Narayana MurthyCo-founder and retired chairman of Infosyshad stirred controversy with his comment that young people should work more than 70 hours a week to increase the country’s productivity. His “70-hour work week” statement angered many, who questioned the idol’s views on hustle culture.
In a previous interview, we asked popular author and leadership expert Robin Sharma about his thoughts on Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour work week comment. To which, Robin Sharma told us, “If we are only working, we are actually reducing our mental focus, our creativity and our productivity. In fact, the culture of rushing and hard work comes from the factory era. If we worked longer hours in the factory, we would be more productive. We would make more widgets. We now live in the intellectual age, the cognitive age, the information age, the digital age. And so I believe, just my personal opinion, it’s not about how long you work, it’s about how intensely, intelligently and intelligently you work. And if you really want to have a long career without getting tired, I think recovery is very important.” Read Robin Sharma’s full interview here
Robin Sharma’s response to Narayana Murthy’s comment on working 70 hours a week
And looking at some of the world’s most developed countries, Sharma’s thoughts appear to be correct. International Labour Organisation (ILO) data from January 11, 2024 shows that the average work week in some first-world countries is actually shorter than India. While the average work week in India is 46.7 hours, in contrast, people in the United States work an average of 38 hours per week, Japan 36.6 hours per week, and the UK about 35.9 hours. Not only this, some countries in the West also have some labor laws that promote better labor. work life balance For employees. Here we are giving a list of some laws of other countries which India should also adopt:
1. Right to disconnect
In 2017, France became the first country to introduce a right to disconnect law for employees. According to this, employees have the right to ignore work-related communications after their working hours. Over the past few years, several countries including Spain, Belgium, Italy, Ireland have also implemented this law, with Australia becoming the most recent country to introduce a right to disconnect law. In fact, managers in Portugal can even be fined for calling their employees after their working hours! Find here a list of countries that have disconnection powers for workers.
2. 4-day work week
Seeing how rapidly workplaces are changing these days, many countries have now adopted a new policy. 4-day work week Culture that aims to achieve greater productivity and keep employees happy. Some of the countries that have adopted this policy include Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, etc. See the list here,
3. Mandatory Holidays
Did you know that in Austria, employees who have worked for a company for six months or more are entitled to at least five weeks of paid annual leave each year? Yes, you read that right and it’s part of their law! In a time when employees are sometimes made to feel guilty about taking time off, adopting such laws will help workplaces improve the well-being of their employees.
4. Career break or time credit
In Belgium, people can take up to a year off from work without losing their job! This is also known as ‘time credit’ and a Belgian worker can either take it in full or even work part-time during this period and still get paid by the state. And in some special cases, this time credit can be extended to six years! Now that sounds great, right?
5. A fixed number of working hours per week
According to ILO data (as of January 11, 2024), people in India work an average of 46.7 hours per week, making it one of the top 15 countries in the world with the longest work weeks. Bhutan tops the list with a 60-hour work week, while India ranks 13th on the list. Not only this, ILO data also shows that 51 per cent of employees in India work more than 49 hours per week, which is more than the national average. In contrast, The Week’s 2023 report notes, ‘According to Eurostat numbers from 2008, the French work just 40 hours per week, one hour less than the Eurozone average.’
Following the news of Anna Sebastian Perayil’s untimely death allegedly due to work stress, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said he spoke to the late Anna’s father Sibi Joseph. After his “deeply emotional and heart-rending” conversation, Tharoor said it would raise the issue of legislation to limit working hours to eight hours a day, five days a week (i.e. 40 hours per week) in both the public and private sectors. According to reports, Anna’s father Sibi Joseph had suggested this to him.
Perhaps Anna’s untimely death will actually bring about a change in workplaces in the country, highlighting the issue of work-life balance that has become the need of the hour. As Anna’s cousin Sunil George Kuruvilla wrote in his LinkedIn post, “My second cousin Anna is gone. Forever. And now she is more powerful than ever. Like a canary in a coal mine, she can still save young lives from the clutches of cunning officials who act like the Grim Reaper. A few years ago, Anna was at a crossroads in her career: an MBA from IRMA or a CA degree. She had a long conversation with my dad and finally decided to pursue a CA degree against his advice. Paraphrasing Frost’s lines, two roads diverged in the forest, and she chose the one that was right. And that has made all the difference… But Anna lives on in me and in those who cherish her fond memories. Anna is more powerful than ever.”
The need for work-life balance
Over time, excessive stress can lead to many lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and even mental health issues like burnout, anxiety, depression, and more. This makes it imperative for a person to find ways to relieve stress and live a more mindful and healthy life. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna It often emphasizes the need to maintain balance in all aspects of a person’s life. When applied in modern times, it teaches a person to detach and stay balanced so that they can live a more satisfying life – whether it is their professional life or personal life.
