TryGOLD- Free

Employees hit back over long-hours corporate culture
The Guardian Weekly|October 11, 2024
For the average Indian, the working week is now longer than ever - totalling almost 47 hours.
- Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Employees hit back over long-hours corporate culture

According to recent labour data, India now has one of the most overworked labour forces in the world, enduring longer hours than in China, Singapore and even Japan, a country renowned for its relentless work culture. On average, Indians work 13 hours longer every week than an employee in Germany.

Almost 90% of those working in India are employed in the informal sector, which is largely unregulated and exploitative. However, concerns have also begun to be raised about the working conditions of those in formal employment, particularly those in India's corporate sector where working practices have remained largely unchanged in decades and critics say pursuit of profit remains king.

In July, Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant at the India offices of corporate accounting giant Ernst & Young (EY), died four months after joining. In a letter written in the aftermath, her mother said the "overwhelming" high-pressure work environment had taken a heavy toll on Perayil and eventually led to her death.

This story is from the October 11, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 11, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIAN WEEKLYView All
Bring it on home Led Zep's first biopic
The Guardian Weekly

Bring it on home Led Zep's first biopic

How were the famously interview-shy rock gods persuaded to take part in a film about their early success with the band telling their own story?

time-read
3 mins  |
February 14, 2025
Dead souls
The Guardian Weekly

Dead souls

The Nobel laureate bears witness to Korea's traumatic past as one woman's quest is told through haunting, harrowing imagery

time-read
3 mins  |
February 14, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

Object lesson

An expat couple curate their lives by plants anc Radiohead LPs in this deliciously pessimistic chronicle of Berlin life

time-read
1 min  |
February 14, 2025
Legacy of violence
The Guardian Weekly

Legacy of violence

A seething and erudite-but flawedindictment of the west's role in the creation of Israel and everything that has flowed from it

time-read
4 mins  |
February 14, 2025
The right are wrong on climate-why is the UK following their lead?
The Guardian Weekly

The right are wrong on climate-why is the UK following their lead?

If you care about the world we are handing on to future generations, the news last Thursday morning was dramatic.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 14, 2025
Power pointe
The Guardian Weekly

Power pointe

Ballet has always been more than just a job for Carlos Acosta. And as director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, he is trying to make it bigger than ever

time-read
3 mins  |
February 14, 2025
The Guardian Weekly

Borders can't contain the devastating, destabilising crisis engulfing Sudan

As Sudan approaches its third year of civil war, the dynamics are shifting.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 14, 2025
Heroes to villains
The Guardian Weekly

Heroes to villains

With 13 Oscar nominations, Emilia Pérez's cast and crew should have been flying high. Then came a social media scandal and a fearsome backlash

time-read
8 mins  |
February 14, 2025
Bukele's rise Strongman who became the darling of the right
The Guardian Weekly

Bukele's rise Strongman who became the darling of the right

Five hours after being shot in the belly, a Haitian accountant sat in a Port-au-Prince emergency room pondering how his homeland might be saved.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 14, 2025
Trump is fuelling lethal fantasies of driving people from their land
The Guardian Weekly

Trump is fuelling lethal fantasies of driving people from their land

The shock and awe continues and it only gets more shocking and more awful.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 14, 2025

We use cookies to provide and improve our services. By using our site, you consent to cookies. Learn more