Rishad Premji’s comments come days after Infosys founder Narayana Murthy reiterated his stance in favor of a 70-hour work week.

Work-life balance has become a frequently discussed topic lately, with Wipro executive president Rishad Premji recognizing its importance as “incredibly important” while recognizing it as a “controversial subject”. He maintains that hybrid working arrangements in companies benefit employees.
Rishad Premji’s comments come a few days after Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy reaffirmed its position in favor of a 70-hour workweek and expressed concern over India’s transition from the six- to five-day workweek in 1986, while rejecting the notion of balance between professional life and private life.
Post-Covid, while Indian IT Services businesses have adopted hybrid working arrangements, with organizations like TCS, Infosys and Wipro increasingly demanding office presence. However, many companies maintain flexibility.
Speaking at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024, Wipro Group Promoter said, “Work-life balance is extremely important. I learned this very early, before Covid, that professional life is something you have to define for yourself. organizations will never work on it for you. So you need to define what that means and draw boundaries.
Read also | When Narayana Murthy touched Ratan Tata’s feet
Premji noted that the understanding of professional and personal life has evolved significantly. Previously, this focused on arrival and departure times at the office, whereas today it may involve considerations such as managing “Instagram access at work”.
“The concept of what that means is just not ours, it’s also the freedom of what I can do with my time when I’m at work, but without working,” Premji explained.
Premji said: “The one model that the IT industry has adopted, and I think the government has supported, is a more hybrid working model. This is a controversial subject. But we, as a company, said we wouldn’t do it. You’ll be able to come in three days a week, but we want you to have the flexibility to spend two days at your workplace, which definitely helps the workforce.
Addressing employee mental health and work-life balance, Premji noted the positive development of companies openly discussing these previously taboo topics, especially after the 2020 pandemic.
He highlighted Wipro’s initiative to train managers to recognize the signs and conduct open discussions sensitively with staff. “I think they are very powerful,” concluded Premji.