Mumbai Startup Boss Imposes Latecomer Fine, Ends Up Paying Rs 1,000 Himself

Punctuality is crucial in the workplace, particularly for managing employees’ regularity and enhancing productivity. However, a Mumbai-based company recently took the rule way too seriously and imposed a fine of Rs 200 on latecomers. Kaushal Shah, the founder of the Evor Beauty brand, implemented a new policy that required employees to arrive at the office by 9.30 AM, or they would face a fine of Rs 200. However, the policy unexpectedly backfired when Kaushal Shah himself had to pay Rs 1,000 in fines for repeatedly arriving late to the office.

The Mumbai startup founder shared the outcome of his plan on social media, sparking divided opinions among users. Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Shah revealed that he had implemented a “strict rule” requiring everyone to be in the office by a specified time. He noted that previously, employees were arriving around 10 or 11 AM. To enforce punctuality, Shah announced a penalty of Rs 200 for latecomers.

However, here’s the twist: “This is me paying it for the 5th time,” meaning he himself turned out to be a repeat offender. Shah also shared a screenshot of his recent Rs 200 fine. While levying a fine can come across as unnecessary for many, the money would be used for team activities like dining and other events, the founder explained in a follow-up tweet.

The post instantly went viral, sparking a lot of reactions on the platform. While some praised the founder for his leadership skills, others called out the toxic work culture. A user jokingly wrote, “hope you are not the top performer here.”

Another one critically questioned the rule and commented, “Kushal, is the amount 200 rs same across all salary groups? I mean a 15k earning employee and a 2 lakh earning employee see 200 rs differently, hope you have this basic idea.”

A user asked if the company pays for the extra time that employees work.

One of the comments included a constructive suggestion. “Instead of this, introduce an incentive where you double the TA for that particular day, for the first 10 employees who reach in office. Make the system reward-based instead of punishment-based.”

As many came forward to criticise the new rule, Shah took up to explain his intention. He explained that the tweet is meant to emphasise an important principle for both founders and leaders: “If you establish a rule for your employees, you must be the first to follow it.” Further, he even clarified that he has created a separate UPI Lite account as a team fund, where the fine money is collected and used for team activities and benefits.