Longer working hours proposal for Karnataka sparks outrage

Mental health professionals say that if extending daily work hours is unavoidable, it must be backed by stronger employee wellness and assistance frameworks to help people through the transition.

The Karnataka labour department recently circulated a draft amendment proposing an increase in the daily work limit from nine hours to 10, and the overtime limit from 50 to 144 hours in three months. It applies to IT establishments, bars, pubs, restaurants, and retail outlets. While industries have welcomed the move to improve the ease of business, unions have opposed it.

“It may disproportionately burden women who also care for families,” said Shanu Ben Choudhary, counselling psychologist and vice president, partner management and hiring sourcing at 1to1help. Such a change, she added, must include stronger institutional mental health support, and revised salary structures “so at least the financial side of life is looked after”.

Dolly Sharma, founder of Pukar, a free emotional support and suicide helpline, concurs and says that without forums for work-related dialogue, the move may add to stress. Her callers sometimes mention job instability and lack of family time. “Does more more time mean more productivity?” she said, questioning the proposal’s rationale.

Multiple IT professionals told Metrolife they usually log off within nine hours, staying longer only when the workflow is heavy. But all agreed that a mandatory 10-hour day, accompanied by daily office reporting, would strain their already fragile work-life balance. A 23-year-old data annotator said she currently manages it, but isn’t sure she can if the rule kicks in. “I spend over 1.5 hours commuting one way,” she reasoned and added that poor task division and lack of professionalism hurt productivity more than the number of work hours.

A 28-year-old IT professional said the rule should be optional. “What’s the point of earning if there’s no time to enjoy it?” he asks.

A content professional, unsure if it applies to her sector, urged the government to address systemic issues. “We already work overtime unofficially. Instead of pushing us more, fix the roads — that alone would reduce stress.” She believes commute time should count as part of the workday.

(With inputs from Anvitha Hegde)