Byung-Chul Han, a contemporary philosopher, in his influential work, The Burnout Society, indicates that burnout syndrome is a defining issue of the 21st century. For him, today's society embodies an achievement-driven culture where the pressure to succeed is deeply ingrained, often resulting in the physical and mental exhaustion of its members, mainly in their pursuit of career goals. Data and the recent statements by certain industrialists advocating for longer work hours in India stand testimony to this trend.

The Philadelphia Declaration of 1944, a foundational document of the International Labour Organization (ILO), states that "labour is not a commodity". It recognises workers as individuals with hopes, dreams, and aspirations for themselves and their families. ILO data links increased working hours to lower productivity and decreased work-life balance. It reveals that the average hours of work per week in South Asia, including India (49), is already the highest compared to the developed regions such as Eastern Europe (39), North America (37.9) and the world average (43.9). However, this does not consider the unpaid household work for which most women are 'happily burdened'.

Meaning of work

It is relevant to recall what Albert Camus, a famous French philosopher and dramatist, said - “Without work, all life goes rotten, but when work is soulless, life stifles and dies.” An average employed Indian spends much of his/her healthy lifetime, aged between 30 and 60, in work and associated activities. Unfortunately, the nature and ambience of work are increasingly becoming soulless, driven by greedy urges for productivity and luxury, and falsely portrayed as necessities.

Work becomes meaningful when it fulfils our needs and simultaneously helps us transcend those needs for greater aspirations. But, we are trapped by those very needs inflated by the industry. Today, industrial and civilisational growth, although at the expense of the environment and other living creatures, provides us with an ‘abundance of essentials’ to seek a meaningful life. But, our inability to aspire for greater meaning in life, beyond work and material well-being, has become a clout on our present conception of work.

Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher known for his profound insights into modern life, remarked - “To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilisation, and at present, very few people have reached this level”. The increasing emphasis on long work hours and the dismissive view of leisure in our society reflects an inability to imagine life beyond the grind of work and a step backwards in our civilisational growth.

The quest for a fulfilling life should be a continuous journey rather than something to be enjoyed only after retirement. Edward Fischer, a contemporary anthropologist, observed that human beings are more than self-interested agents concerned only with material gains. It is essential to recognise that people’s aspirations, dignity, and commitments to broader life purposes should be integrated into our regulatory systems to enhance overall human well-being. To reach this objective, appraisal and evaluation systems within industries need to extend beyond mere productivity metrics to prioritise and promote employee well-being.

Who benefits?

A recent study by the World Inequality Lab reports that India’s top 1% income share is among the very highest in the world. According to it, 1% of the population holds 22.6 % of the county's income and has access to a staggering 40.1% of national wealth. Hurun Global Rich List 2024 reports that India has 271 billionaires and ranks third, next to China and the USA. On the other hand, India is listed as one of the five countries, along with Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Congo, with the largest number (234 million) of people living in poverty, according to a UNDP report.

The above data raises the question of who benefits from increased work hours and who suffers, assuming productivity increases. Research clearly demonstrates that income disparity has a disproportionately negative impact on the poor despite a marginal increase in their income. Will the wealthy industrialists and businessmen and those advocating for increased work hours accept an income cap and a strict net wealth tax to benefit poor workers and the country?

Also, it is crucial to look into the working conditions of over 75% of India’s non-agricultural workforce, who are in blue-collar jobs. Low wages and a hazardous and humiliating work environment mark their workplaces. Is it not inhuman to increase their work hours before addressing these issues?

Thus the push by some Indian industrialists for extended work hours stems from their own narrow viewpoint of work and life, which involves attributing one’s thoughts, feelings, and priorities to others under the assumption that they share the same. It disregards essential data and reveals a narrow conception of life which breeds from aimless greed and the inability to conceive alternative imaginations of life beyond work. Work should ideally provide a means to transcend mere survival, allowing individuals to embrace freedom, nurture creativity, and realise their full potential.

(The author is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director, Centre for Social and Policy Research at CHRIST (Deemed to be University) Bangalore. Views expressed are personal. He can be reached at om.prakash@christuniversity.in)