Clocking Out on Overwork: Infosys Redefines Success with Wellness-First Policy

In a stunning about-face from co-founder Narayana Murthy's fiery call for a 70-hour workweek, Infosys has unveiled a far-reaching new work-life balance policy, emphasizing employee well-being and sustainable productivity. The tech giant now strictly caps working time to an average of 9.15 hours a day across five days, particularly for its massive remote and hybrid employees.

 

Key Highlights:

 

Strict Work Hour Monitoring: Infosys has implemented robust processes for monitoring work hours on a daily and weekly basis for all workers, especially the offsite workforce. Exceeders of the 9.15-hour daily average receive individualized health warning letters with their recorded hours and a notice to log off upon work completion.

 

Health-First Messaging: The HR emails emphasize the risks of burnout, stress, and chronic illness, encouraging workers to take time off, delegate work, and scale back evening commitment.

 

Hybrid Policy Tightened: From November 2023, workers must come to the office at least 10 days a month. The company monitors remote work habits and steps in when workers overstep healthy work limits.

 

Interpreting Leadership Differently: This move is a clear departure from Murthy's previous public position, which had supported extended working hours to increase national productivity. Infosys is now placing work-life balance as central to individual happiness as well as business success.

 

Industry Impact: The decision comes amid growing health issues in India's IT industry, with Infosys establishing a new standard for employee health in an industry that for long has been accused of cutthroat work culture.

 

Sources: Business Today, India TV News, HR Katha