An online petition demanding lesser work hours that had been launched last week, has been receiving a lot of support.

The petition addressed PM Narendra Modi, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda seeking strict regulations that cap work hours to no more than 8.5 hours a day on a 5-day work week. Vinod Nair, the petitioner, claimed that companies, especially MNCs exploit their employees into working longer hours, which is detrimental to the health of the individual.

The petition mentioned that some companies make their employees work 12 hours a day, and some even 6 days a week. It also claims that longer working hours reduce work productivity and does more harm than good, and cited countries that have started to adopt lesser working hours to increase work efficiency.

While there have been numerous studies that agree with Nair's petition that bases on 'less is more', the Govt. of India should take necessary measures to regulate ideal work hours so that neither the employer nor the employee are compromised.