Mumbai: Deepika Padukone, who is a strong advocate of mental health, has called out Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subramanian for his controversial comments on workplace culture and employee welfare. The comments, which included suggestions to extend the workday to Sundays and a dismissive tone towards personal lives, have sparked widespread debate about mental health and toxic work environments.
During an employee interaction, Subramanian addressed concerns about L&T’s six-day work week. “I’m sorry I can’t make you work on Sundays,” he said in a video that went viral on Reddit. If I can get you to work on Sunday, I will be more than happy because I work on Sunday.” He also made a controversial comment, raising questions about what employees do during their free time, saying, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you see your wife? Come on, reach the office and start working.”
These comments sparked a strong reaction online, with many criticizing the chairman for trivializing employees’ personal time and the need for a healthy work-life balance. Journalist Faye D’Souza also highlighted the issue on her social media, where Deepika Padukone reacted sharply.
Reposting Faye’s post, the actress wrote, “It is shocking to see people in such senior positions making such statements. #MentalHealthMatters.”
Deepika, who has been vocal about her struggles with mental health and has started initiatives to spread awareness, did not hold back in commenting. His statement resonated with many, reviving the discussion about the pressures of corporate life and the lack of emphasis on mental health in a professional environment.
Following the backlash, L&T issued a justification for Subramanian’s comments, but it failed to calm the storm. Critics, including Padukone, accused the company of exacerbating the issue rather than meaningfully addressing it.
This incident has again put the importance of mental health and the need for empathetic leadership in large corporations into the spotlight. As the conversation around employee well-being continues to grow, industry leaders are being reminded of their responsibility to foster healthy workplace cultures.
