Radhika Gupta covers the necessity of a balanced work-life attitude and the significance of hard effort for success. She emphasizes the value of individual decisions about goals and career pathways, stressing the importance of productivity, mental health, and the part that organizations play in creating a positive, encouraging culture.
The managing director and chief executive officer of Edelweiss Mutual Fund, Radhika Gupta, has commentated on the prevailing discussion over work-life balance. After the uproar over L&T Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s comments urging that staff work 90-hour weeks, Gupta took to the social networking site X, formerly known as Twitter, to convey her thoughts. The remarks made by Subrahmanyan, which included a reference to “staring at your wife,” were widely criticized. Deepika Padukone and billionaire Anand Mahindra expressed opposing opinions. In her essay, Gupta recognized the complexity of the topic and emphasized that, although success requires hard effort, striking a balance between work and personal life is a very personal decision shaped by dreams and aspirations.
“Decisions, Hard Work, and Happiness,” Gupta said in her lengthy X post. Given how likely it is to be misquoted on this topic in our clickbait environment, I contemplated whether or not to publish this piece. However, I am making an effort to present a balanced perspective on the matter of work-life balance.
Working hard is crucial, and I was taught that it’s the only way to succeed. In a competitive job, I also think that the individual who puts in more effort will advance more quickly. A great deal of hard effort leads to great enterprises, great careers, and great accomplishments.
Struggling is a decision. Aspiration is a decision. Also, decisions have repercussions. The goal of becoming a CEO or founder with a huge exit is not necessary for everyone. Time off from work is important to many individuals I know, therefore many have opted for a less demanding career path within their sector. No verdicts.
Let’s speak about hours now. During my first employment, I spent four months in a row working 100 hours a week on my first project. Working eighteen hours a day, with one day off (not Sunday, as I had to be at a customer location on Sunday).
What was it like? In 90% of cases, I was in a bad mood. I sobbed in the restrooms of the workplace, had room service chocolate cake at two in the morning, and was admitted to the hospital twice. Above all else, even though I put in 100 hours at work, I did not produce anything. Many of my graduating classmates had similar stories, having entered comparable positions in consulting, banking, etc.
Hard labor is not the same as hours. Those were mostly Facetime hours in entry-level jobs. Indeed, a buddy of mine used an Excel model to construct a screensaver that made their employer believe they were at the office! Not surprisingly, many of us didn’t stay in those positions for very long. To be able to work hard for a long time, we need to be able to maintain it, which is where compounding comes in.
Productivity does not equal hours. Despite working 8 to 4, many industrialized countries make sure their hours are productive. Arrive at work promptly, give it your all, attend just the meetings that are required, and make excellent use of technology. “We need to figure out how to use AI to make research more efficient because our talent cannot spend hours on tedious tasks,” I recently told my investment team.
Mental and family health are essential. We will create a world of anxiety and breakdowns, premature heart attacks, miserable marriages, and absentee parenting if we don’t. Since I had no obligations, I was able to work the hours I did when I was a young, unmarried female. I am occupied nowadays with my job, taking care of my parents, running my house, and spending time with my spouse and son. And this is despite privilege: a supportive spouse, helpful parents, a wealth of resources, and a hands-on husband. Many people in our cities commute for three to four hours every day, whereas I commute for one and a half hours. Along with running their houses, they also have dabbas to pack, tasks to complete, children to drop off at school, and more.
Organizations need to consider the culture they establish. Founders and CEOs, of course, put in more effort because they have financial incentives to do so. However, I have discovered in our organization that when you foster a culture where individuals feel meaning in their work, they will go above and beyond for you, even in the face of challenging personal situations. Anything is difficult to enforce, much less a certain number of hours. People are more easily motivated to offer their best effort.
It is up to us all to help India become a developed country. We should, however, also aim to be a happy nation while we do so, relishing the benefits of that progress, such as the satisfaction of constructing, providing a better life for our children, and experiencing things that the previous generation would not have experienced. Development, inclusive growth, and happiness all go hand in hand.
Finally, I see a lot of young individuals, particularly women, who are unsure about starting a family because they are afraid that their careers and families won’t be able to coexist. It frightens them even more. Contributing to the Viksit Bharat ideal while maintaining a positive connection with life and work is feasible. Let us say it to our children.