The entrepreneur has challenged the idea that employees who spend the most time at work are necessarily the most committed, reigniting debate around performance, productivity, and workplace culture.
Long hours are often treated as a visible sign of dedication. KarthickRaajha, Founder and CEO of Tamil Nadu-based marketing firm Revv Growth, has questioned that approach, arguing that time spent working shouldn’t automatically determine an employee’s career progression. In a recent LinkedIn post, Raajha said he wouldn’t promote an employee simply because they worked the longest hours. He also said managers shouldn’t confuse being constantly busy with genuine commitment or performance.
His comments have come amid a broader workplace debate over how companies should assess productivity, particularly as remote and hybrid working have become more common.
The entrepreneur talks about focusing on output and not hours.
Raajha said his approach to management is centred more on the quality of work than the number of hours an employee spends at their desk. He also outlined several workplace practices he said he would not support, including expecting employees to work through family emergencies, making people feel guilty for taking sick leave, or publicly humiliating staff members.
The underlying argument is that performance assessments can become distorted when managers equate visibility with productivity. An employee who regularly stays late may not necessarily contribute more than someone who completes their responsibilities efficiently during normal working hours.
Employees have lives outside work.
Another point the founder raised was managers’ limited understanding of employees’ personal circumstances. Raajha said leaders should remember that every employee has a life outside the workplace that management may know little about. He also rejected the idea that an employee’s decision to resign should be treated as an act of disloyalty.
The comments reflect changing expectations around employee wellbeing, workplace flexibility and leadership responsibility. Raajha, who has spent six years building his business, said employees who choose to work with a company should be treated as professionals and trusted to manage their responsibilities.
The discussion highlights a growing shift from traditional measures such as hours logged and physical presence towards outcome-based performance. For employers, the challenge is to distinguish genuine productivity from the appearance of constant activity. As companies continue to rethink workplace culture, the question is increasingly less about how long employees work and more about what they accomplish while they are working.
