‘Infosys, Netflix founders don’t believe in work-life balance…’: Mamaearth’s Ghazal Alagh says term ‘misunderstood’

In a long LinkedIn post, Mamaearth co-founder Ghazal Alagh said the founders of Infosys, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Netflix “believe work-life balance does not exist for people building business”, adding the term has been “misunderstood”.

“The work-life balance debate arises from misunderstanding what it really is. Instead of viewing it as a rigid concept, we need to recognize that work-life balance is created, not found,” Alagh said in the post.

Stressing on how work-life balance varies from person to person, she wrote, “Some might choose to balance it on a day-to-day basis. Someone else can choose to balance over a week by stretching on weekdays and chilling on weekdays, others can choose to balance over a week by stretching on weekdays and chilling on weekends.”

Alagh wrote what one is  chasing should define “work-life balance” definition

“The key lies in letting people define work-life balance on their own terms. This debate ends when people can choose what matters most to them at any given time.” 

The post resonated with several professionals online. “Work-life balance purely depends on one’s needs and wants and can change over time. When companies give flexibility and autonomy to their people and support the definition of work-life per their needs, that’s truly a company to admire,” wrote a user.

“What works for me is when I am able to work on whatever is needed on the professional front without missing out on personal needs like spending time with family…This priority-wise activity has come off late after many years of rigorous grilling for hours at a stretch. It’s about being sincere about work and personal priorities at the same time.”

“Work-life balance to me is three words trying to sound important. Reality is work, and (personal) life coexist,” another wrote.

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy had recently sparked a debate by saying that Indians should work 70 hours a week.