Chennai, February 12: Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman and Managing Director SN Subrahmanyan has raised concerns over changing work culture, particularly in the IT sector and among engineering graduates. Speaking at the CII South Global Linkages summit in Chennai, he said young professionals are increasingly unwilling to relocate for jobs or work from the office.
Citing his own experience, he said, “When I joined L&T in 1983, my boss asked me to relocate, and I did. But today, if I ask a Chennai-based graduate to move to Delhi, he simply says ‘bye’.” He highlighted how IT employees, in particular, resist working from office, creating challenges for companies. “If you ask them to come to the office, they say ‘bye.’ This is a different world, and older generations struggle to understand it. Companies must adapt with flexible policies,” he added. L&T Chairman Subramanian’s 90-Hour Work Comment Faces Backlash From Deepika Padukone, Harsh Goenka and Others, Company Calls Remark As Ambition of Nation-Building.
He also expressed concern over labour shortages in the construction sector, stating that welfare schemes such as Jan Dhan accounts, direct benefit transfers, Garib Kalyan Yojana, and MGNREGA have made workers reluctant to migrate. “We employ 4 lakh labourers, but due to high attrition, we end up hiring around 6 million annually,” he revealed. Mobilising workers has become challenging, with recruitment now happening through messaging carpenters and labourers on existing contact lists. ‘How Long Can You Stare at Your Wife?’: L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan Advocates 90-Hour Workweek, Wants Employees To Work on Sundays Too (Watch Video).
Earlier, Subrahmanyan faced backlash for advocating a 90-hour workweek and making controversial remarks about “staring at one’s wife.” His latest comments have sparked debate on how changing employee expectations are reshaping India’s work environment.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2025 06:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
