Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal Lashes Out At Staff Over Poor Attendance

Amid reports that Ola is planning to cut around 500 jobs, its CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has reportedly warned employees of strict consequences if they do not show up for work.

In an internal email to staff, Aggarwal flagged the issue of poor office attendance and asked employees to prioritise workplace commitments.

Expressing his disappointment, the Ola chief asked staff not to fleece the company by not even turning up for work, saying it was disrespectful to other employees who work hard and contribute.

Aggarwal further said that Ola will have a more stringent attendance policy starting Monday. “… Those of you who have misused the freedom so far, HR will be having a conversation with you,” the email purportedly said.

The email in question has since been doing the rounds on social media and sparked a heated debate online, with some users criticising the company for allegedly fleecing customers by selling substandard products.

“This is the kind of email that would make a good employee leave the company …,” one user commented, suggesting that Aggarwal could have been more professional while outlining his discontent with the growing employee absenteeism at the company.

While some users were irked by Aggarwal’s warning letter to employees, a few others came to his defense, saying respect is a two way street and employees should practice work discipline.

This is the latest instance where the Ola chief has raised eyebrows with his controversial views.

Earlier this year, Aggarwal was slammed by netizens after he voiced his support for a 70-hour work week.

More recently, he also went toe to toe with stand-up comic artist Kunal Kamra after the latter flagged the company’s subpar after-sales service. In November, troubles worsened for Ola as the Central Consumer Protection Authority launched a detailed probe into consumer complaints against the firm.

This comes on the heels of reports that Ola was looking to sack around 500 employees in a bid to streamline operations and achieve profitability.

Ola Electric posted a net loss of INR 495 Cr in the second quarter of the ongoing fiscal year (Q2 FY25).