Why techies are forced to put in Narayana Murthy hours while others gear up for Diwali

As techies navigate late-night bug fixes, client calls, and project deliveries, these diligent professionals strive to ensure they can truly celebrate the festival of lights.

The month leading up to Diwali is often a race against time for information technology or IT warriors. With deadlines looming and clients clamouring for swift solutions, late-night shifts become the norm. Despite the alluring aroma of freshly made sweets and the sparkling glow of decorative lights, many find themselves tethered to their workstations, battling stubborn lines of code.

As they navigate late-night bug fixes, client calls, and project deliveries, these diligent professionals strive to ensure they can truly celebrate the festival of lights.

One such IT enthusiast, 28-year-old Raghav Deora*, works tirelessly at a renowned software firm in Bangalore. He recounts his mission to celebrate an “actual Diwali” with fervour, “Diwali is our most cherished festival, and I won't let work steal the joy from it. So, I put in extra hours in the weeks leading up to it, trying to tie up all loose ends.”

The pursuit of an “actual Diwali” celebration isn’t just about avoiding late nights and having uninterrupted family time; it’s also about securing a genuine break from the constant hum of phone calls and emails. IT employees, who are used to being perpetually on call, see Diwali as a respite from their digital leashes. As the festival approaches, they clutch at the sliver of hope that their efforts will grant them a stress-free Diwali.

“Diwali is a time for togetherness, traditions, and celebration. I might have to work hard to earn it, but when I finally get to spend quality time with my family, the smiles on their faces make it all worth it,” says 32-year-old Namit Chaturvedi*, who is the manager of two IT teams constituting around 14 employees.

Taking a dig at recent comments by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy that youth should work 70 hours a week, Mumbai-based Nadeema Farheen*, 30, said she has already been working more than that for the past two months.

“Our manager has been pushing us to complete all projects before November 10, to avoid calls with clients on and after Diwali,” she said, adding that she is yet to hear of anything close to “overtime pay”.

ALSO READ | HR heads doubt effectiveness of Murthy's ‘70-hour week’ work suggestion

Based on his interaction with IT workers, Harpreet Singh Saluja, President of Pune-based Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) observed that businesses are eager to wrap up projects with the year-end approaching. This often results in IT workers being assigned unrealistic deadlines, which can lead to late-night shifts and working through holidays.

To be sure, all IT workers are affected by the increased workload during the festive season, but some roles are more affected than others. Software developers, system engineers, DevOps engineers, and IT support staff are particularly stressed because they are responsible for critical tasks that cannot be delayed. These job roles are also affected because they often require a high level of expertise and specialisation.

Saluja says he has received complaints that IT workers are not paid for the additional work they perform during the festive season.

What companies are doing

To gauge what IT companies are doing to help employees navigate this tough journey, Moneycontrol reached out to major IT companies, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, IBM, L&T Technology Services, Persistent Systems, Coforge, Mphasis, among others. None of them responded except Wipro.

With around 2.5 lakh employees, Wipro has adopted flexible and hybrid working models that it said enable it to manage the workforce efficiently and avoid overwork.

“We have a sizable number of employees working in shifts throughout the year, according to the customer demand and the festive calendar. We also provide various benefits to our employees who work on holidays and night shifts, such as compensatory offs, shift allowance and home pickup/drops,” a Wipro spokesperson told Moneyontrol.

ALSO READ | Employees in FMCG, manufacturing may get higher Diwali bonus this year

Wipro also has global delivery teams across various geographic time zones and locations that help it leverage the global scale and mitigate the impact of festive seasons at specific locations on service levels and quality.

Gameplans managers follow

One of the key strategies suggested by a senior operations officer for an Indian multinational company was to encourage early planning. “Teams should plan their workloads well in advance, ensuring that critical tasks are completed before Diwali. This will allow employees to relax and savour the festivities.”

For instance, he said, some of the teams in his company planned the work 3-4 months ahead. The company also hired temporary or off-roll workers from outside India for specific projects whose deliveries were around and after Diwali.

Flexible schedules emerged as another key recommendation. “Offering flexible work hours and remote work options during the weeks leading up to Diwali will help employees manage their professional commitments without missing out on the celebrations,” said Arvind, an IT manager in a Bengaluru-based Software firm.

ALSO READ | Data scientists, cloud engineers get highest salaries in IT companies

Amid the increasing calls to return to the office, he said flexibility in working hours and location will help employees go beyond the call to wrap up projects. This should continue for the week after Diwali also, Arvind added.

Finally, clear communication is crucial. Several workflow managers said managers should keep employees updated about project timelines so that techies can postpone unnecessary days off before Diwali and complete projects on time.

(*name changed on request)