THIS Indian company launched 40-hour work week, founder slams long working hours, says, ‘need more…’
Bahl clarified his stance in a recent podcast episode of The Rockford Circle with Chitrangada Singh. He dismissed the idea that employees were supposed to work for long hours.
THIS Indian company launched 40-hour work week, founder slams long working hours, says, ‘need more…’
Whereas several business owners have supported the idea of 70-hour and even 90-hour workweeks, Founder and Managing Director of Veeba, a leading sauce manufacturer, Viraj Bahl has staunchly opposed the idea. He called the practice of long working hours unfair to employees and outdated. The founder has not only expressed his views on the recently going viral trend of starting a discussion on working hours, but he has also implemented the exact opposite of what billionaire businessmen have been advocating. Veeba has reduced its workweek to 40 hours.
Challenging long working hours
Bahl clarified his stance in a recent podcast episode of The Rockford Circle with Chitrangada Singh.He dismissed the idea that employees were supposed to work for long hours. He opined that it is natural for founders, who make majority of the profit from a company’s success, it does not make any sense to impose the burden of long-working hours on employees without the same compensation.
Unlike many companies advocating for longer work hours, Bahl highlighted that requiring employees to work excessively without offering an equity stake or significant financial rewards is an outdated and unsustainable strategy.
This stance sharply contrasts with figures like Narayana Murthy, who in 2023, proposed that employees should work 70-hour weeks to enhance India’s productivity. Murthy’s comments ignited a heated debate on work culture, with mixed reactions. Recently, SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), went even further, suggesting that employees should work up to 90 hours per week, including Sundays, to stay competitive.
Bahl has also expressed strong opinions on hustle culture, which is often celebrated in entrepreneurial circles. While he acknowledges that hard work is crucial in the early phases of a business, he believes that a constant hustle mindset becomes counterproductive once a certain stage is reached. He argues that as a company secures a stable revenue stream, leadership should shift from a high-pressure, hands-on approach to a more strategic and sustainable one.
Bahl warns that maintaining an intense pace indefinitely can harm both individuals and organizations. He advocates for companies to evolve from being driven solely by hustle to becoming well-structured organizations that can attract and retain top talent. He emphasizes that finding a balance between ambition and sustainability is essential for long-term success.
In the latest season of Shark Tank India, he joined an esteemed panel of judges, including Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Vineeta Singh, and Peyush Bansal.
