Billionaire Harsh Mariwala Urges Leaders To Build Positive Work Culture: 'It's The Right Thing To Do'

When it comes to achieving business success, encouraging the people of any organization is crucial. Investing in employees and promoting a positive company culture are essential ingredients. It’s about providing employees with something meaningful, beyond just a paycheck. Similarly, Harsh Mariwala, founder and chairman of Marico, a beauty and wellness company, recently highlighted the importance of encouraging a positive work culture within companies. The 73-year-old billionaire asserts that this approach not only benefits businesses but is also the “right thing to do.” Mariwala stresses that building a strong culture is not a one-time effort but a continuous process that requires strengthening desired values and behaviours over time.

Sharing his thoughts on his official X handle, Mariwala wrote, “Investing in your people and building a positive culture in the organisation is not just good for business, it’s the right thing to do. Culture building is not a one time effort but an ongoing process that requires perpetual reinforcement of the desired values and behaviours.”

In October 2023, Narayan Murthy sparked controversy with his opinion that youths need to work for at least 70 hours per week. During the time, Harsh Mariwala disagreed with Murthy’s view but highlighted that hard work is essential and it’s important for success. Sharing his opinion on X, the Marico founder expressed that employers and employees should prioritize the quality and passion invested in their work rather than working hours. He shared that to properly motivate the country’s youth, it is essential to place them in roles that challenge them, provide them with growth and encourage learning. According to the industrialist, this not only benefits the individual but also contributes to the overall success of the organization.

Infosys co-founder and former CEO Narayana Murthy speaking with former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai on the first episode of 3one4 Capital’s podcast, The Record, said, “India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world. Unless we improve our work productivity, unless we reduce corruption in the government at some level, because we have been reading, I don’t know the truth of it, unless we reduce the delays in our bureaucracy in taking this decision, we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress. So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say ‘This is my country. I’d like to work 70 hours a week’.”

During that time, his advice garnered mixed reactions. While some supported his opinion, many disagreed.