The CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, Shantanu Deshpande, who created quite a stir with his ’18-hour-work’ post on Linkedin put out another post on Wednesday apologising for his earlier post which he said needed ‘nuance and context’. In the wake of the row, his parents received messages like ‘Your son is a slave owner’, he said. “You won,” he said in what he announced as his last post on Linkedin.
Shantanu Deshpande shared an interview where he said he clarified what he meant by his post and he actually did not mean ‘working 18 hours’ every day. “To those who were hurt by my post – apologies for the same. I recognise the need for nuance and context. This interview last evening possibly captured my point of view better. If time permits, do watch it,” he wrote.
The CEO came under fire after his post where he said at the age of 22, one should put in the “18 hour days for at least 4-5 years”.
“I see a LOT of youngsters who watch random content all over and convince themselves that ‘work life balance, spending time with family, rejuvenation bla bla’ is important. It is, but not that early. That early, worship your work. Whatever it is. The flex you build in the first 5 years of your career carries you for the rest of it,” the controversial post said.
“Don’t do random rona-dhona. Take it on the chin and be relentless. You will be way better for it,” it said.
Facing flak for promoting ‘toxicity’ at the workplace, he added that 18-hour a day was just another way of saying ‘give your all’. In the interview he posted, he said many people messaged him agreeing with him while the message he intended to give was lost on many others.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/your-son-slave-owner-18-hour-work-ceo-apologises-says-you-won-101661998937508.html