Over the last ten years, India has experienced a drastic change in the culture of hustle. The message from corporate offices and every type of business has been loud and clear; work harder, work longer and jeopardize your personal life to achieve success. At the same time, there is a heated discussion going on in the country over the passing of new laws that will make 10-hour workdays the norm and the airing of horrible stories of burnout and deaths due to over work, hence a serious question arises, has India’s hustle culture overstepped its boundary?
The resilience, flexibility, and hard work of the Indian population have always been praised. However, the “hustle culture” concept which denotes that grinding, long hours, and sacrificing personal time is the only way to success, has very much infiltrated professional life in recent times. The question now is: are we glorifying overwork at the cost of health, family, and overall well-being?
In recent news the Maharashtra government on Wednesday approved the amendment of labour laws to increase the maximum daily working hours for private sector employees from the current nine hours to 10, provided the employer gives overtime compensation for the extra hour. The legislative change comes at a time when India is already one of the most overworked nations in the world. International Labour Organization (ILO) data shows that Indian employees clock an average of 46.7 hours per week, with more than half working over 49 hours. In the IT sector, surveys reveal that professionals often stretch to 50 hours or more a week, effectively spending ten hours a day at work. A Gallup report paints an even starker picture—only 14% of Indian workers say they feel they are thriving at work compared to 34% globally, while over 30% report declining mental health and nearly 60% are considering quitting their jobs.
According to another report, the burnout rate in the corporate sector in India is 58% to 62%. Many show symptoms of mental-health issues, like 80- 90% of people face mental health problems. Most of these are affected due to poor-worklife balance, stress and overwork compared to their pays. While not many may report causes of burnout, sometimes mistakes at the workplace or shorter attention span can lead to problems in the workplace. Many also do not report or seek help assuming they will lose their job or their colleagues, family or friends may not see it as a serious problem.
Although while the gen-z are in force there has been a change in a few workplaces, they see to it that they do not support the older way of working. Long hours, strict deadlines, micromanagement, workplace harassment and more.
Gen-z is setting their new rules but at the cost of what? While people speak up the management and heads of the company are against them, they risk their jobs or are forced to leave. In a generation where new rules and trends need to be set, the Government also recently approved the new rule of extending the working hours of private sectors to 10 hours a day. Earlier this month, the Maharashtra government approved an amendment allowing employees in shops and establishments to work ten hours a day and even up to twelve in factories, provided there is double overtime pay and written consent. The state government has also decided to increase the daily working hours in factories and industries from nine hours to 12, with a similar overtime pay condition. While the move has been positioned as a reform to boost productivity and flexibility, it has sparked widespread outrage.
Social media users and labor unions argue that consent in India’s job market is hardly free. Workers struggling to hold onto employment often have little choice but to agree. Trade unions have already announced protests, calling the law a dangerous step that prioritizes profits over people.
Similarly people argue that a typical Indian requires a minimum 1 to 2 hours to travel from their home to their workplace. Many business enterprises are happy with the new rules but what about the common man? Employees need work-life balance which means they need time for themselves, family and friends.
Why has India’s Hustle Culture gone too far?
Hustle culture is glamourised by many and with India’s startup ecosystem becoming the third largest in the world, many professionals idolize founders and tech leaders who preach “work 18 hours a day” as the path to success. In Indian households success is often measured by your job post, title, company status and salary. For example, if you have a government job or a title of a Manager or an IPS officer. There is a huge competition lately in the market. Employees want better jobs and benefits, companies want to stand first and some need job security just to earn a living. This makes companies and employees who love running the rat race feel like a competition with over working hours and more.
The human cost of this overwork is impossible to ignore. In 2024, Ernst & Young employee Anna Sebastian Perayil died at just 26, only months after joining the firm. Her family directly linked her death to the relentless stress of her job. Beyond the corporate sector, even doctors who are very long accustomed to grueling shifts are sounding alarms. A study published in the Journal of the Association of Physicians of India found that one in four doctors faces burnout, especially women and younger physicians who often work twelve-hour shifts or longer.
Beyond the statistics and tragedies lies the quieter toll of missed family moments and personal sacrifices. A recent story from Bengaluru went viral when a young chartered accountant shared her regret at missing a close family function because of weekend work. Her confession resonated with thousands online, highlighting how hustle culture chips away at relationships and memories that no amount of professional success can replace. Many question the fact that why do we glamourise work hours and less pay but what makes the debate even more complex is the conflicting signals from corporate leaders.
On one end of the spectrum, industry giants have publicly advocated extreme workweeks. Last year, Larsen & Toubro’s chairman stirred controversy by endorsing a 90-hour workweek, echoing similar calls by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. Yet, others are pushing back. Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube has openly rejected the culture of endless hours, insisting he does not expect employees to sacrifice their lives at the altar of work. Capgemini’s Ashwin Yardi has called for capping the workweek at 47.5 hours and even discourages weekend emails. Meanwhile, Veeba Foods went a step further by slashing work hours to just 40 a week, calling 70- or 90-hour weeks counterproductive.
The evidence increasingly shows that longer hours do not equal better productivity. Studies cited in India’s 2025 Economic Survey caution that working beyond 55 to 60 hours a week severely harms both health and efficiency. The World Health Organization estimates that long working hours contribute to 7,45,000 deaths annually worldwide due to strokes and heart disease. Overwork is even being likened to smoking which is an addictive habit that slowly erodes health and well-being.
So where does this leave India? The country stands at a crossroads. On one side lies the temptation to push harder, work longer, and compete globally through sheer endurance. On the other is the growing realization that sustainable growth cannot come at the expense of human lives, health, and family bonds. Hustle culture may have helped power India’s rapid rise in startups and IT, but unless it evolves into a culture that values outcomes over hours, the costs could far outweigh the gains.
The question we must confront is not whether India’s workforce can endure ten-hour days or seventy-hour weeks, but whether they should. True progress lies not in glorifying overwork, but in building workplaces where productivity and well-being coexist. Until that shift is made, the hustle may continue to extract more than it gives back.
