New Delhi: India’s tech giant Infosys are calling some of its staff back and asking them to appear in office for at least 10 days a month. Through email, the company asked some of its workers to come down to the office to better work efficiency.

Note that the company had allowed everyone to work from home at the time of Covid-19 pandemic. The workers were asked to log in remotely full-time. However, many of the workers are still permitted to continue working from home.

The internal document was earlier reported in local media, which was later verified by company’s representative, said media reports. This comes amid the controversy, which is still fresh, sparked by Infosys’ owner Narayana Murthy’s remarks over 70-hours working culture.

Earlier this week, Murthy attended a podcast hosted by former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai where he  “So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say ‘this is my country. I’d like to work 70 hours a week”.

Also Read: Adani Wilmar Q2 Results: Stock Falls As Net Loss Records Over 130 Cr; Revenue At Low

He further added, “This is exactly what the Germans and Japanese did after the Second World War…they made sure that every German worked extra hours for a certain number of years.”

The reason that Mr. Murthy cited was India’s work productivity, which “is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading, I don’t know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.”

Also Read: Digital Lockers, Virtual Shopping Stores: Delhi Metro’s ‘Momentum 2.0’ App To Level Up Commuting Experience

While his remarks got a huge objection from youngsters, several business giants came forward to agree with Murthy. Tech Mahindra’s CP Gurnani said, “Have been reading about the outrage to Narayana Murthy’s 70 hour work statement. I believe when he talks of work, it’s not limited to the company.. it extends to your self and to your country…He hasn’t said work 70 hours for the company – work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself…Invest the 10,000 hours that makes one a master in one’s subject.. burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field. THAT is 70 hours of work which can differentiate you as a youngster and in the process your country.”