Citing research that show negative effects on mental wellness, the pre-Budget Economic Survey released on Friday noted that working over 60 hours every week might have “negative health consequences.” This statement comes after recent comments by business tycoons including Larsen and Toubro chairman S N Subrahmanyan, who supported a 90-hour workweek, as well as advice from other well-known personalities such Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani advocating increased work hours.

The study stressed the damaging effects of long work hours and excessive desk time on mental health, pointing out that people with twelve or more daily hours of desk work have quite poor mental well-being. The survey found that excessive hourly employment—defined as more than 55–60 hours per week—causes poor physical health outcomes, and people who spend more than 12 hours sitting exhibit a significant drop in mental well-being.

Further lifestyle decisions and good workplace cultures, the Economic Survey stated, correspond with fewer days of work missed. The survey also finds that even in the best surroundings, staff lose on average five days a month due to workplace culture and other elements influencing productivity and mental health, poor interactions with bosses and a lack of job satisfaction all cause more lost workdays.

With reference to the World Health Organization, the survey found that depression and anxiety cause the global economy about 12 billion lost workdays each year, which is a financial loss of USD 1 trillion or about ₹7,000 every day. Chief Economic Adviser Dr. V. Flexibility in work schedules over extended periods is lacking in India, which could mitigate the effects of short-term demand surges, although many nations have exact work-hour rules, Anantha Nageswaran noted.

Nageswaran said that although your total working hours may not exceed this, there may be additional or less work in a given week based on demand surge; that adaptability is lacking.