Why work hours need to be regulated in India

Does the name Bhimesh Babu ring a bell? Earlier this month, his ghastly death sparked a nationwide debate.

- Shashi Shekhar

His death rekindled an old debate about working conditions in India.

On November 2, Babu was about to leave for home in Bengaluru late at night, after winding up his work in a digital data bank. It was his practice to generally nudge his colleagues to dim unnecessary lights or switch them off. That night, too, he asked his junior colleague to do the same, who got irritated and turned violent. The assault was so brutal that Babu died.

This incident once again sparked a debate on work-life balance.

Increasing workload in offices and strained relations are pushing people towards a crisis. Many surveys claim India’s ambition to become an economic superpower is resulting in a burnout epidemic across the workforce.

These surveys also claim that India is consistently topping the charts when it comes to work hours, which are far longer than globally accepted norms: A 48-hour work week is the norm, according to the International Labour Organisation.

On the contrary, India is among those 13 countries where work hours are among the longest. Its ill effects are visible. According to a survey, more than 60% of professionals show signs of burnout. It's not that the situation was better before during the Covid-19 epidemic, it deteriorated markedly. People worked from home and were instructed to stay logged in.

So, what is behind the so-called burnout syndrome?