‘HR will be having a conversation with you…’: Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal’s mail on WFH misuse goes viral

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has reportedly fired off a no-holds-barred email to employees, slamming them for poor attendance. 

The sternly worded message, which has since gone viral, accuses employees of “fleecing the company” and shows no patience for excuses. BT could not independently verify the letter.

In the purported email, Aggarwal expressed his frustration over shockingly low attendance rates, writing, “I would imagine everyone has the basic self-respect to not fleece the company by not even turning up for work. It’s even disrespectful to those colleagues who genuinely work hard and contribute.” 

“Monday onwards a more stringent attendance expectation will start. And those of you who have misused the freedom so far, HR will be having a conversation with you. Come to work, do good work, and feel a part of Ola’s mission”.

He emphasized that the company has no work-from-home policy except in genuine cases, adding that HR would address serial offenders.

The CEO also dismissed excuses about the company’s facial recognition system, remarking, “Let’s not insult basic intelligence.” Aggarwal concluded the email by calling on employees to actively contribute to Ola’s mission and take pride in their work.

This tough stance comes against the backdrop of Ola’s ongoing cost-cutting measures, including laying off 500 employees recently. Aggarwal’s focus on operational efficiency was evident during a recent earnings call, where he highlighted reductions in operating expenses and outlined plans to maintain flat or declining costs while boosting revenues.

Ola Electric is on an aggressive expansion spree, planning to scale its store network from 800 to 4,000 by December 2024. The company is also rolling out a “network partner program,” aiming to onboard 10,000 partners by 2025 to enhance sales and service touchpoints across smaller towns and cities.