Tag: infosys founder

Sometime back Shri. Narayana Murthy, the Infosys founder, came out strongly against the WFH/Hybrid culture that is gaining grounds not only in India but around the world. Working from home started in a big way from Covid times even if it existed minimally from earlier. A friend of mine has been working from home for a multinational IT company in Bangalore for over twenty years now, due to family circumstances. WFH is not entirely a new or strange concept. But those who engaged in WFH formerly, already had a sound working experience in office environs. They reached a point where WFR made no difference to their productivity or output. Career-wise they probably peaked and had lengthiest service behind them, looking forward to retirement in near future. Whereas the new crop of WFH have no idea what it is to work for an organization and as a unit and build an institution together. They worked like individual islands with least co-ordination. They may fail to get the overall picture. Work-life balance is fine but that shall get you nowhere. THERE IS SIMPLY NO SHORT-CUT TO SUCCESS. You don’t become a CEO overnight. Nobody who became one worked from home. Those who made it to the top slogged in office buildings for 17-18 hours per day to reach the spot where they are today. I can’t help agreeing with Murthy. Murthy also came down heavily against the so-called ‘moonlighting’ by WFH staff whose integrity and loyalty to their paymasters took a beating with their growing greed for making it bigger and better in shorter duration. The very ethics and work morals of the working people became a question mark. There have been instances of WFH guys getting thrown out of their jobs when it was discovered that they divided their loyalty with more than one employer at a time with moonlighting practice. Working in office with co-staff gave one the discipline and transparency and motivation to work harder and achieve common goals and targets. Working in tandem resulted in improved growth parameters. That is what made leaders in the corporate world. The very human touch is absent in WFH environment. So if you consider yourself a CEO material, stay focused and work harder. The words of the founder and mentor of the first Indian corporate to get listed in NASDAQ are not to be taken lightly. They are of profound wisdom from rich working culture bred from ethics and values and morals that are found lacking in current generation. These are the bricks that build the foundation for a strong and healthy nation. WFH/Hybrid culture may work out anywhere but not in India.