Synopsis
On March 4, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced the 'Kya Chai Raha Hai?' initiative, requiring employees to submit weekly reports on their achievements, mirroring Elon Musk's recent directives. This comes amidst significant layoffs at Ola, raising concerns about employee morale.Key Takeaways
- Ola initiates weekly reporting for employees.
- Bhavish Aggarwal’s initiative mirrors Elon Musk’s approach.
- First report due the day after the announcement.
- Ola Electric plans to lay off over 1,000 employees.
- Concerns arise over employee morale amid layoffs.
New Delhi, March 4 (NationPress) Imitating billionaire Elon Musk’s recent directive for US federal employees to submit a weekly performance report, Ola Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has mandated employees across his organizations to provide weekly updates on their accomplishments.
The initiative, titled "Kya Chai Raha Hai?"—which translates to "What’s going on?" in Hindi—requires Ola employees to email their managers with 3-5 bullet points summarizing their completed tasks every week.
These reports must be sent to both their managers and a specified company email address, as stated in Bhavish's memo.
"We are launching Kya Chal Raha Hai? - a straightforward way to relay your weekly updates directly to me and your managers, effective today," the internal communication stated.
The email further instructed employees to send "a concise update to your manager and kyachalrahahai@olagroup.in (the email will be functional in about an hour) with 3-5 bullet points regarding what you accomplished last week".
The first report was due the day after the announcement, with subsequent reports required every Sunday.
This directive comes amid significant transitions at Ola, including a wave of layoffs aimed at reducing costs and achieving profitability.
Ola Electric, the firm’s electric vehicle division, is reportedly planning to terminate over 1,000 employees, marking the second substantial job cut in just five months.
The layoffs will impact various departments, such as procurement, customer relations, and charging infrastructure, as Ola seeks to enhance its operational efficiency.
Aggarwal’s new reporting requirement mirrors a policy instituted by Musk, who recently mandated that US federal employees submit weekly accomplishment reports in bullet points.
Musk’s directive was implemented in his role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to bolster accountability and mitigate inefficiencies in government operations.
However, it has faced criticism for potentially diminishing employee morale and job security.
This is not the first occasion Aggarwal has taken a strong position on employee performance; in December last year, he dispatched an internal email cautioning staff about poor attendance.
