'In the beginning, one has to work harder' - Samir Arora of Helios Capital On L&T Chairman's Work Week Debate

Stock market veteran and Helios Capital founder Samir Arora added his voice to the ongoing debate about work-life balance, sparked by thw remarks from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan advocating for a 90-hour workweek. Arora, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), is of the view that effort and dedication is required to reach a management level position.

He suggested that instead of questioning long work hours, the more pertinent inquiry should be how promoters or chief executive officers manage to achieve their successes. The answer, he implied, lies in their relentless hard work.Samir Arora shared insights from his early career, reflecting on the demanding work hours of his first job after graduating from business school. He revealed that he worked 12-13 hours a day, not taking into account the time spent commuting.

"Yes- in the beginning one has to work harder than others to learn, get noticed and get ahead. In my first job after IIM, I worked in Delhi where my hours were routinely from 9 AM to around 10 PM and about an hour each way for travel," Sameer Arora said in a post on X.

Seeking a change, he transitioned to a job with more relaxed working hours but soon found it uninspiring. Ultimately, he returned to his previous role, finding it more fulfilling despite the workload.

"I enjoyed it a lot but still sought a job with more sane hours. I then moved to a job where the hours were 9 AM to 5 pm and literally everyone in office started thinking of leaving by 4 pm and be out by 5. It was so boring that I went back to my earlier firm once again," added Arora.

Arora emphasized the importance of putting in extra effort during the initial stages of one’s career. He noted that working harder than others is crucial to learning, gaining recognition, and advancing professionally.

"Upside: When I went to USA - after working total 3 yrs including 2 yrs plus for the first company in 2 phases-to Wharton, the first company I was working for gave a me a summer job in their headquarters in USA and sent me on a full 2.5 months business trip to UK (therefore in addition to salary paid my travel, hotel stay, taxis, meals, ironing of clothes etc.) 2 summers in a row," added Arora.

On Thursday, a video of L&T chairman went viral showing the top boss of the company advocating a working Sunday.