When you create a culture where people find purpose in what they do, they will go above and beyond for you even when faced with difficult personal circumstances, says Radhika Gupta, MD and CEO, Edelweiss MF.
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 first project during my first job. Eighteen 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?
Ninety per cent of the time, I was miserable. I went to office bathrooms and cried, ate chocolate cake from room service at 2 am and was hospitalised twice.
Most importantly, I may have been at work for 100 hours but I was not productive in those (100 hours).
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 (am) - 4 (pm) 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 three-four hours in our cities. They have homes to run, chores to do, dabbas to pack, kids to drop to school and more.
6. As organisations, 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 organisation 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.
Finally, I meet many young people, especially women, who are questioning whether they should have a family because of the fear that family and career cannot coexist.
This debate scares them even more.
Having a happy relationship with work and life is possible while contributing to the dream of Viksit Bharat. Let's tell our kids that.
This article first appeared on LinkedIn. Published with kind permission from Radhika Gupta and Edelweiss MF
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