Narayana Murthy pushes for three shifts for infrastructure growth

NR Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys, continued to advocate for significant changes in India's work culture.

In his latest comments, Murthy emphasized the need for infrastructure growth, proposing a fundamental shift in work patterns for employees in the infrastructure sector. He suggested the adoption of three shifts instead of one for faster infrastructure growth.

During a conversation at the Bengaluru Tech Summit, alongside Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, Murthy highlighted key aspects imperative for Bengaluru's growth in the next 5-10 years. He outlined three critical factors: the establishment of English medium schools to nurture talent for the city's software industry, focused attention on infrastructure, and prompt decision-making by the government.

In a bid to bolster infrastructure development, Murthy urged the government to expedite ongoing projects like the construction of the Electronic City metro in Bengaluru. He advocated for increased work shifts in the infrastructure sector, citing that many successful nations operate on two shifts or more.

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Drawing comparisons to successful global practices, Murthy encouraged a cultural shift in India's work ethic, suggesting that striving for three shifts in infrastructure work could significantly contribute to the nation's growth.

"People in those infrastructure industries must work three shifts, they should not work just one shift...come at 11 am and then go at 5 pm. At least on the Electronic City road, that is what I see, I may be completely wrong," Murthy said. "But in other nations that have high aspirations people work two shifts. I would return around midnight (when abroad), and I have seen people working as if they are going to disappear tomorrow morning. I cannot vouch for three shifts, but I can definitely vouch for two shifts."

"We want to be better than all those countries. Why don't we say our people - work three shifts? Ask them what are their requirements to complete the stretch by their workers in three shifts - provide that. If we do that, I have no doubt that why India cannot grow faster than China," he said.

He reiterated his earlier stance on increased work hours, stressing that India needs to enhance its work productivity to catch up with nations that have experienced substantial economic growth in recent decades.

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