Telangana allows 10-hour workdays with safeguards; Caps weekly hours at 48

Hyderabad: In a move designed to enhance the ease of doing business, the Government of Telangana has unveiled a new policy permitting employees in most commercial establishments (excluding shops) to work up to 10 hours per day. This decision emphasises greater flexibility for businesses while simultaneously embedding specific labour safeguards to ensure worker protection.

Under the new guidelines, the total working hours for any employee are strictly capped at 48 hours per week. A key provision mandates that any work performed beyond this 48-hour weekly limit must be duly compensated with overtime wages. Furthermore, to safeguard employee well-being, the policy stipulates that if an employee's workday exceeds six hours, they are entitled to a mandatory rest break of 30 minutes.

The policy also sets clear limits on daily and quarterly work durations. The total work duration in a single day, including any overtime, must not exceed 12 hours under any circumstances. Additionally, the maximum permissible overtime for an employee is capped at 144 hours per quarter.

This policy shift in Telangana comes amidst an ongoing debate on working hours, which has seen contrasting viewpoints from prominent industry leaders. Earlier this year, Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra emphasised the importance of quality over quantity in work. Conversely, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan recently advocated for longer workweeks, sparking public controversy regarding work-life balance.

In April 2023, the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed the Factories (Amendment) Act 2023, extending daily working hours from eight to twelve hours for factory workers. However, the Tamil Nadu government also assured that the total weekly working hours would remain unchanged, offering workers the option of a four-day workweek with three days of leave. Globally, several countries are also experimenting with or have already adopted variations of a four-day workweek, reflecting a wider trend towards re-evaluating traditional work structures.

With inputs from ANI