'Missed my daughter’s first steps': CA shares she worked 90-hours a week for 10 years & paid a cost; SEE post

Nitu Mohanka, who candidly recounted her past experiences of 14-hour workdays, revealed how these exhaustive hours strained her relationships and deprived her of significant life milestones.

A social media post by Nitu Mohanka, a chartered accountant turned mindset coach, has ignited a fierce debate about the emotional and personal toll of grueling work schedules. Mohanka, who candidly recounted her past experiences of 14-hour workdays, revealed how these exhaustive hours strained her relationships and deprived her of significant life milestones.

Mohanka wrote, “Boss: How long can you even stare at your wife? Me: Longer than I can stare at Excel sheets.” This exchange, she explained, mirrored her life a decade ago, where emails sent at midnight and countless missed family moments were commonplace.

One particular incident that left a deep emotional scar was a drawing her five-year-old daughter created—a family portrait that excluded Mohanka. When Mohanka asked why she wasn’t in the picture, her daughter’s innocent yet devastating reply was, “Mama is always at the office.” The drawing now sits on Mohanka’s desk, a stark reminder of the cost of sacrificing personal life for professional obligations. Reflecting on her journey, she stated, “Measuring success in hours instead of impact comes at a steep price.”

Mohanka also shared the adverse effects of excessive working hours, citing that productivity begins to nosedive beyond 55 hours per week. Beyond this threshold, she argued, work morphs into what she termed “performance theater,” coming at the expense of health, relationships, and creativity.

90-hour workweek debate

Her post gained traction amidst a social media storm targeting L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan, whose controversial remarks advocating for a 90-hour workweek have drawn widespread criticism. In a recently surfaced video, Subrahmanyan questioned domestic life’s value, infamously asking, “What do people even do at home? How long can you stare at your wife?”

The undated footage, reportedly from an internal meeting, also revealed Subrahmanyan expressing regret over his inability to enforce Sunday workdays. His comment, “If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy,” sparked outrage online. Many criticized the remarks as insensitive, particularly toward employees in lower-income brackets.