Joining the online debate over L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s 90-hour workweek proposal Edelweiss Mutual Fund CEO Radhika Gupta shared her experience of how working for 100 hours has not been productive.
In a long post on X, Gupta shared her journey and the lessons she learnt throughout her career.
Edelweiss boss shares own story
"Choices, Hard Work and Happiness” the Edelweiss CEO captioned her post and continued:
“I debated whether to write this post, because the risk of being misquoted on this issue in this clickbait world is high. But I am trying to share what is a nuanced point of view on the issue of work-life balance.
1. Hard work is important and I was taught and believe that it is the only way to rise. In the competitive workplace, I also believe the person who works harder will rise faster. Great careers, achievements, and companies are the results of a lot of hard work.
2. Hard work is a choice. Ambition is a choice. And choices have consequences. Not everybody has to aspire to be a CEO or founder with a mega exit. I know many people who have chosen the path of a less demanding career within their field because time off from work matters to them. No judgments.
3. Now let's talk hours. I worked 100 hours a week for four consecutive months on my 1st project during my 1st job.18 hours a day, with one day off (and not Sunday—I got Monday off because I had to be at a client site on Sunday).
What was it like? 90% of the time, I was miserable. I went to office bathrooms and cried, ate chocolate cake from room service at 2 a.m., and was hospitalized twice. Most importantly, I may have been at work for 100 hours, but I was not productive in those. The same story is true for many of my graduating classmates who joined similar roles in banking, consulting, etc.
Hard work is not equal to hours worked. Many of those hours in entry-level careers were pure facetime. Heck, I know a friend who created a screensaver with an Excel model to convince their boss they were in the office! No wonder many of us didn't last in those roles very long. Hard work needs to be sustainable for us to be able to do it for a long period of time, which is when compounding kicks in.
4. Hours is not equal to productivity. Many developed nations work 8–4 but ensure those hours are productive. Come in on time, bring your best to work, have only necessary meetings, and use technology to be effective. Recently, I was telling my investment team, “Let’s find a way to use AI to make research more efficient—our talent cannot spend hours on grunt work.”
5. Family and mental health cannot be absent from this. Otherwise, we will build a world of anxiety and breakdowns, early heart attacks, unhappy marriages, and absentee parenting. I could work those hours I did as a young, single girl because I had no responsibilities. Today, between my career, managing my home, caring for parents, and giving time to my husband and son, I am consumed. And this is despite privilege: a hands-on husband, support staff, parents who chip in, and lots of resources. I commute 1.5 hours a day, but many commute 3–4 hours in our cities. They have homes to run, chores to do, dabbas to pack, kids to drop to school and more.
6. As organizations, we have to think about the culture we create. Of course, founders/CEOs work harder—they have economic incentives to do so. But I have found in our own org that when you create a culture where people find purpose in what they do, they will go above and beyond for you, even in difficult personal circumstances. Forcing anything is hard, let alone enforcing a certain number of hours. Inspiring people to give their best is easier.
7. All of us have to contribute to making India a developed nation. But as we do so, we should also strive to be a happy nation—enjoying the fruits of that development: the joy of building, of giving our families better lives, and of experiencing what the previous generation may not have had. Happiness, inclusive growth, and development go hand in hand."
Why Radhika Gupta thinks 90-hour workweek debate is scary
Stressing on mental wellness Radhika Gupta raised a serious concern about today’s women professionals constantly worrying about sacrificing family life to build their careers.
Admitting that the debate is “scary”, the Shark Tank India judge concluded by saying, “Having a happy relationship with work and life is possible while contributing to the dream of Viksit Bharat. Let’s tell our kids that.”
Also read: “Sir, Then How Will We Remain Most Populous Country?” Anupam Mittal Reacts to L & T Boss’s Viral Speech (startuppedia.in)
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