Bhavish Aggarwal pulls a Musk, mandates weekly reports from employees
What's the story
Ola Group's founder Bhavish Aggarwal has launched a new initiative called 'Kya Chai Raha Hai?' (What's going on?) in a bid to improve transparency and accountability in his companies. As part of it, employees will now have to submit weekly reports of the tasks they have completed. The order was sent via an internal email by Aggarwal and will be implemented across all his businesses.
Requirements
Employees must submit weekly reports to managers
Under the 'Kya Chai Raha Hai?' initiative, employees have to send a short email every week detailing three to five bullet points of what they have accomplished. These reports have to be sent to their managers and a dedicated company email, without any exceptions. The submissions are due every Sunday.
Layoffs
Restructuring and cost-cutting measures
The new reporting requirement comes at a time when Ola is laying off a large number of employees in its electric vehicle subsidiary, Ola Electric. The company is axing over 1,000 employees as part of its strategy to cut costs and achieve profitability. The job cuts affect multiple departments including procurement, customer relations, and charging infrastructure.
Company statement
Ola Group's commitment to improved productivity
An Ola spokesperson said, "We have restructured and automated our front-end operations, delivering improved margins, reduced cost, and enhanced customer experience while eliminating redundant roles for better productivity." The statement highlights the company's focus on driving efficiency even as it lays off thousands. Meanwhile, the new reporting mandate is viewed as a move to drive more accountability within the company.
Leadership
Aggarwal's leadership style mirrors Elon Musk
Aggarwal's leadership style has often been compared to that of Elon Musk, who recently introduced a similar policy requiring US federal employees to submit weekly accomplishment reports in simple bullet points. In December last year, he had also warned employees about their poor attendance in a strongly worded internal email.