hn_ANI_hr_gurugram_muskan_kakkar_08-20-32

ETVBHARAT

1/11/2025

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00:00is the idea that you are working, but also the people that build it. And if the people require

00:06a certain amount of flexibility in today's work culture, that is something that you need to

00:15strike a balance with, with the company. Otherwise, you know, you are not building

00:20a good work culture in your company. What is your view or opinion on entire

00:26L&T chairman's controversy that has erupted on social media?

00:32So, I would not say that it's a controversy. I think it's a matter of opinion. Everybody has

00:38got a different opinion. Everybody has got different priorities. If I think in my case,

00:44if I know that I have a schedule wherein I need to work for 13-14 hours a day because

00:50that much work is required for me to achieve my end goal, I don't mind working for 13-14 hours.

00:56But honestly, if you expect me or if people think that I need to work for 13-14 hours every day,

01:04and for that matter, anybody. I think for every day, we are not machines. At the end of the day,

01:09work-life balance is equally important. You need to give time to your family. You need to give

01:13time to your parents, kids, everybody. And I think eventually, once, you know, you become

01:20like a machine if you will work like 13-14 hours every day. So, it is very important to make sure

01:26that you're working but simultaneously, you're giving time to yourself. You need to give time

01:30to your body. You need to give time to your parents. So, it is equally important because

01:36if you keep on working every day for 13-14 hours, eventually, for the rest of the time,

01:41you're sleeping, right? And you're not able to give time to yourself or to your family. So,

01:45it becomes difficult working 13-14 hours a day. How should businesses approach the work-life

01:54balance of employees? So, I think for employees, every employee has got a different skill set.

02:02There are few people who can get their job done within 4-5 productive hours, right? So, it's like,

02:08you know, as an employer, I would never ask my employees to work for 13-14 hours. I would

02:14always just give them a task. If they can complete it in 4-5, 6-7 hours, I'm absolutely fine with it.

02:21And if they think, no, that, you know, probably, we're a little slow in our work and we have to

02:26work for 12-13 hours, it's up to them. For me, I'm going to give them a task and they need to achieve

02:31that particular goal within the time frame as per, you know, their schedule.

02:37What is your reaction on L&T chairman's remark?

02:43Yeah, I think there is a lot of glamour around the 90-hour work week and, you know,

02:50one can get bored looking at the face of your wife. So, personally, I feel, I think this comment

02:56could have been structured differently and probably would have come across as insensitive

03:01to many. But my take on this is that I think what he meant to say is that to achieve something

03:07extraordinary, sometimes you have to put some extraordinary input as well to get an extraordinary

03:11output. Having said that, I personally fundamentally believe that in the day and age in which we are

03:16living today, where we are using a lot of technology to solve problems and there's a lot

03:21of use of artificial intelligence and process efficiencies have become much better. I think

03:27a lot of technology-driven decisions can simplify how humans operate and you don't need to necessarily

03:34spend 90 hours or x number of hours. So, one does not need to be a clock watcher

03:41to accomplish something extraordinary and which means that you have to back your process, you have

03:45to back your intent, intensity. Sometimes you can accomplish the, you know, the job of 10 hours

03:51probably in five if you have the right process. So, personally, I fundamentally believe in this

03:56day and age everybody wants a well-balanced output. Having said that, I do understand that

04:03some differentiated input is required. So, that is my personal view about this comment. It could

04:09have been definitely structured much better and I think the people of today realize that.

04:14I think it is often argued that typically founders or people who are in the position

04:20of creating something afresh or starting something from scratch, they have to probably put

04:27an inordinate amount of effort upfront and their own work life possibly requires them to go the

04:33extra mile and which is why people who build companies from scratch or are labeled as founders,

04:39they have to be prepared, mentally prepared to go the extra mile. Having said that, it may not

04:44be feasible to expect the same from every single employee in that company. So, I think organizations

04:50need to create well-defined structures. Organizations need to ensure that people who

04:55are working towards achieving the goal that that organization envisions to achieve

hn_ANI_hr_gurugram_muskan_kakkar_08-20-32

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