At a time when there is a lot of talk about extended working hours, a social media post by a senior executive of a top Indian company has sparked a new debate. A LinkedIn post by Bombay Shaving Company founder and CEO Shantanu Deshpande encouraging newbies to work 18-hour days is gaining traction on social media.
In the post, Despande said he believes young people should hustle from a young age, after which things will take their course. “When you’re 22 and new to your job, jump in. Eat well and stay fit, but put in 18 hour days for at least 4-5 years,” his post read.
“Don’t do random rona-dhona. Take it on the chin and be ruthless. You’ll be much better for it,” he further said.
Employees should “love” their jobs in the early stages of their careers, and the “lean” they gain in the first five years will sustain them for the remainder of their careers.
He also called it “too early” for young people to consider maintaining a balance between “work life, family and rejuvenation”.
“I see a lot of young people looking at random content everywhere and convincing themselves that ‘work life balance, spending time with family, rejuvenation blah blah’ is important. It is, but not that early,” Deshpande added.
This post did not go down well with users, as seen in the comments section, where many criticized the Bombay Shaving Company CEO for his “unacceptable and unconventional” views.
One netizen wrote: “I suggest working 4-5 hours for 18 years.”
“It is because of people like these that we will raise another generation of slaves who will work to make them rich like Shantanu Deshpande. It is high time we say goodbye to toxic work cultures designed to exploit employees,” another user wrote.
Another criticized Deshpande for promoting a culture of slavery, saying: “This is what founders or rich people do: they embrace slavery in order to reduce the number of rivals in their small society. Establish 18-hour work days for your dream goal, not for someone else’s dream goal.”
Amid the criticism, Deshpande returned to his article and wrote, “giving everything and then some.” He also invited people to visit his office and observe the work culture there.
