India Debates 4-Day Workweek: Progressive Policy or Work-Life Tetris?
Indian employees often feel mentally checked out by Thursday. Weekend plans dominate group chats, and Friday becomes a countdown to freedom. Now imagine a three-day weekend every week. The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment is crafting new labor codes to make this possible. The proposed model allows a four-day workweek. However, workers must complete 48 weekly hours, stretching each day to 12 hours.
Labor and Employment Ministry Secretary Apurva Chandra calls this an enabling provision. He says it aligns with changing work culture. With employee consent, a 12-hour workday could grant three paid leaves weekly. But many Indians remain skeptical. They wonder if this model truly benefits workers or simply repackages exhaustion.
Experts Voice Concerns About Sustainability
Nehaa K, head of corporate communications at PR firm The Other Circle, describes the move as progressive on paper but work-life Tetris in practice. She questions the value of a Friday off if employees are burnt out by Thursday. Nehaa argues Indian work culture lacks boundaries. We operate in a just one more email economy. Without structural changes in meetings, expectations, and manager training, this could become 12-hour workdays plus weekend catch-up.
She emphasizes that if commitment is still measured by hours logged rather than impact delivered, the four-day workweek becomes performative reform. The policy exists, but the culture shift is yet to come.
Mini, a communications strategist at a leading Japanese MNC, shares this sentiment. She states productivity does not come from sitting at work longer. It comes from being mentally fresh. According to her, work-life balance improves only when companies genuinely respect employees time and limits.
Personal Experiences Highlight Potential Pitfalls
Abha Ahad recalls her last job with 12-hour days, five days a week. Everyone felt tired and pretended to work after the eight-hour mark. She believes a four-day workweek leading to 32 hours could boost productivity. But if it requires 12-hour days to meet weekly targets, it becomes counter-productive.
Ahad, now a content lead at Inomy, notes most people achieve six hours of productive work in an eight-hour day. She thinks this ratio would persist even with 12-hour shifts.
Industry-Specific Challenges Emerge
Rajeev Thakur, Director of Grassik Search, says a four-day workweek with 12-hour days is not tenable for most Indian industries. India boasts a huge informal workforce. Cramming five days work into four likely causes excessive stress.
Thakur believes it may work in IT, IT services, or consulting where output matters more than hours logged. However, industries like retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and logistics rely on coverage hours. For them, hybrid models like split shifts or rotating teams matter more.
Anup Garg, Founder and Director of World of Circular Economy, adds knowledge-intensive and hybrid-friendly industries stand to benefit. Technology, consulting, finance, and sustainability services fit this category. Manufacturing and frontline service sectors may need tailored models.
Garg warns long hours without breaks correlate strongly with stress, burnout, fatigue, and lower job satisfaction. These outcomes ultimately degrade work quality.
Successful Implementation Requires Redesign
Anish Singh, co-founder of HR company ATP, says shorter weeks improve performance and well-being when roles are outcome-led, processes are efficient, and people are trusted. He cites research from large-scale trials in Iceland and the UK. A four-day workweek can sustain, and sometimes boost, productivity when work is outcome-focused.
Singh mentions Unilever experience in Australia and New Zealand. Productivity does not hinge on hours alone. It improves when teams are trusted, outcomes are clear, and well-being is thoughtfully designed. These gains come from redesigning work, not simply shortening the calendar.
He illustrates that employees seeing the fifth day as a privilege often become more focused and committed. However, these gains materialize only with careful work design and management change. The smartest approach is to pilot with one team, learn what works, and scale thoughtfully.
Studies by Gallup and Deloitte show employees with greater flexibility and control report higher engagement, lower burnout, and better output quality. Work-timing flexibility allows people to align tasks with their energy and life responsibilities. Flexibility does not reduce commitment. It increases ownership, focus, and work quality.
Real-World Example Shows Promise
Saraf Furniture adopted the four-day workweek model in 2023. Founder and CEO Raghunandan Saraf shares what worked for their company. When people control their work time, stress reduces, work focus improves, and creativity enhances. When people attend to personal responsibilities, motivation and engagement also improve.
For them, it boiled down to efficient time management skills, defined success measures, and a culture of accountability. Saraf reiterates the need for companies providing operations or customer-facing services to maintain service levels and delivery commitments. This ensures outcomes, quality, and customer satisfaction.
Reality Check Urgently Needed
Asif Upadhye, Director at work culture consultancy Never Grow Up, echoes Saraf sentiments. Compressing a fixed assumption of productivity into fewer days does not automatically yield better outcomes or justify an extra day off. Certain policies look good on paper but need a strong reality check.
Our minds do not function like on and off switches, Upadhye states. Optimum performance is driven by work quality, not hours logged. He highlights real-life problems with a 12-hour workday design. It tends to ignore everyday realities.
Many employees care for ageing parents, manage health needs, raise children, or navigate financial constraints limiting access to domestic support. When longer hours become the norm, the cost to mental well-being becomes real and cumulative. Work design must prioritize sustainable performance instead.
Even though the four-day workweek is optional by law, adapting it in India could open a Pandora box. Indian employees worry it would unearth a lack of productivity based on longer forced working hours. Also, trying to adopt Western practices might not align with Indian business mandates and goals.
The debate continues as India stands at a crossroads. The proposed four-day workweek offers tantalizing flexibility. Yet without profound cultural and structural shifts, it risks becoming another layer of stress in an already demanding work environment. The key lies not in compressing hours but in reimagining productivity itself.
