What happens when you’re asked to work like it’s China, but paid like it’s still 2011?
A LinkedIn post has reignited debate over India’s work culture, calling out the growing disconnect between rising corporate expectations and stagnant fresher salaries. “You cannot demand 70 hours of work for a 35-hour salary,” wrote Chartered Accountant and educator Meenal Goel, striking a nerve with thousands of young professionals who feel overworked and undervalued.
Goel’s post comes in the wake of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s recent endorsement of China’s “9-9-6” work model — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. But she argues that such a culture only works in systems where pay, career growth, and workplace systems are aligned.
“In India, asking the youth to work 70 hours without fixing pay, growth paths or work culture isn’t ambition, it’s imbalance,” she said.
The criticism hit home for many. Raj Sanghvi, an equity research professional, wrote, “India’s problem isn’t effort. It’s mismatched expectations. Long hours with stagnant pay will never create innovation or loyalty.”
Automation lead Japneet Sachdeva added, “Working long hours without fair pay and without any growth scope is a serious problem… it’s a two-way journey.”
Goel also pointed to Infosys’s entry-level salary — reportedly unchanged at around ₹3 lakh per annum since 2011 — as a clear sign that corporate India’s definition of ambition may be out of step with economic reality. “People don’t avoid hard work,” she wrote. “They avoid being undervalued.”