Bhavish Aggarwal responds to toxic work culture allegations at Ola
Bhavish Aggarwal has one answer for those who are calling the workplace culture at Ola Electric toxic - "we're not here to have a nice, easy time." At an event at Ola Campus, Bengaluru, Aggarwal justified his management style. The CEO was responding after a Bloomberg report alleged that the company has become "hostile" based on anonymous statements from past and current employees.
Why does this story matter?
Ola is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The company and its CEO are at the center of controversy surrounding its work culture. Every successful CEO has their own style. But what's important is, finding a balanced approach. For a company that aspires to be at the top of the EV revolution, alienating employees or executives will not bode well.
A Bloomberg report highlighted poor working culture at Ola Electric
A recent Bloomberg report alleged that Aggarwal's ruthless behavior has alienated employees and board members alike. The report said that he "ripped up presentations, directed Punjabi epithets at staff, and called teams useless." It also alleged that he often lost his cool during meetings. In an alleged incident, he made an employee run three laps around Ola Futurefactory because an entryway was shuttered.
Ola is for truly ambitious and aspirational people: Aggarwal
Responding to the allegations, Aggarwal told the media that his "style is more aggressive." He compared his business to sports. He added, "Ola is a place for truly ambitious and aspirational people who want to leave behind a legacy for themselves." He justified his management style by saying that not everybody is fit for the company.
What does Aggarwal's response means for the company?
Aggarwal has justified his style of management as something that is required for Ola Electric to be at the forefront of India's EV revolution. An aggressive approach to entrepreneurship can't be called toxic or hostile. What's worrying is that he did not deny any of the allegations. With an increasing amount of people focusing more on work culture now, this could become a problem.
