Zoho CEO and co-founder Sridhar Vembu said in a recent interview that the companies that are forcing their employees to work very hard won't be able to sustain the pace in the long run. The Zoho co-founder likened the toxic work culture in Indian companies to "throwing people into a very big pressure cooker."
"You are throwing people into a very big pressure cooker, and tragically, some break, and others are broken... So this is the outcome, and I believe that is why we have to diversify geographically more. Every activity shouldn't be in one place, and we have to think differently about how we build long-term companies," he told news agency PTI in an interview.
He further said that a balanced work environment is pivotal in building long-term, sustainable organisations. Not only long working hours, Vembu also said that there were other factors that contributed to an unhealthy work environment.
These factors included loneliness among youngsters due to migration to big cities and long commuting hours, citing Bengaluru as an example. Furthermore, he added that while has put in 27-28 years and wants to work for another 28 years if possible, he does support a reckless pace of work.
"I have been around 27-28 years, and I want to work another 28 years, if possible, but that means I cannot burn myself out. I don't want any of our people to burn themselves out," he said.
Vembu's comments come at a time when there has been a spate of incidents wherein young employees lost their lives to excessive work load. In July this year, 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil passed away due to what her mother claimed was "work stress."
Perayil was associated with SR Batliboi in Pune, a member firm associated with Ernst & Young (EY). Anna's mother Anita Augustine sent an email to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani, wherein she criticised the firm for promoting excessive work. She shared that her daughter often worked late into the night and even on weekends.
In this letter, she also mentioned that no one from the company attended her daughter's funeral. Memani responded to the mother's emotional plea and said that the well-being of the company's employees is his top-most priority and will personally champion the cause. "I am fully committed to fostering a harmonious workplace and will not rest until this goal is achieved," he said.
Anna Sebastian Perayil is not the only casualty of the toxic work culture prevailing in India.Tarun Saxena, a young employee associated with Bajaj Finance, recently died by suicide in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi.
He was found dead in his home on Monday morning and had locked his wife and children in another room before taking his life. In his suicide note, Saxena detailed the severe work pressure from his seniors to meet deadlines and threats of deducting his salary.
His job description was to collect EMIs for Bajaj Finance. In his note, he also mentioned how he and other employees were forced to pay up the amount of the EMIs that they were unable to recover. He added that the same was brought to his seniors' notice but to no avail. "You all take care of Megha, Yatharth and Pihu. Mummy, Papa, I have never asked for anything, but am doing so now. Please get the second floor built so that my family can stay comfortably," the poignant note read.
After the incident grabbed headlines, the financial services firm said that Tarun Saxena's death was a "tragic loss" and that the company is supporting the family.
The company also said that it has taken allegations of toxic work environment seriously and the employees concerned were placed on administrative leave. Bajaj Finance further said it has initiated a probe into the circumstances that led to Saxena's death by suicide.