Bhavish pulls a Musk, asks Ola staff for weekly 'Kya chal raha hai' reports

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal mandates weekly reports from employees, mirroring Elon Musk's directive, as part of stricter workplace policies amid reported layoffs at Ola Electric

In a directive similar to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s recent instructions to US federal employees, Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has mandated that all employees across his companies submit weekly reports detailing their accomplishments.

 

According to a report by CNBC-TV18, an internal email sent by Aggarwal last week announced the initiative, titled "kya chal raha hai?" — a Hindi phrase that translates to "what’s going on?"

 

Under this policy, employees are required to send a brief weekly email outlining 3-5 key tasks they have completed.

 

The reports must be submitted to both their managers and a designated company email, with no exceptions. The first submission deadline was set for the end of the day following the announcement, and moving forward, reports are expected every Sunday, the news report said.

 

 

“We're starting 'Kya Chal Raha Hai?' — a simple way to share your weekly updates directly with me and your managers, starting today. Please send a brief update to your manager and Kyachalrahahai@olagroup.in (email will be active in an hour or so) with 3-5 bullet points about what you got done last week. Keep it simple and to the point. Use the email subject: 'Weekly updates'. The deadline for this is today end of day. Going forward, we will expect the email before Sunday end of day. Everyone has to send this, no exceptions,” Aggarwal wrote in his message to employees, as mentioned in the news report.

 

Layoffs at Ola

 

The recent move comes amid reports of Ola Electric Mobility planning to lay off around 1,000 employees — around 25 per cent of its 4,000-member workforce — as part of a restructuring initiative focused on cutting losses, according to industry sources.

 

Aggarwal’s new reporting directive mirrors a policy introduced by Musk in his leadership role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which required US federal employees to submit weekly updates in bullet-point format. Musk framed this initiative as a way to enhance "accountability and streamline government processes," though concerns arose among employees regarding its impact on workplace morale and job security.  

 

This is not the first instance of Aggarwal enforcing strict workplace policies. In December last year, he sent an email to employees over poor attendance.  

 

"Hi all, I've been going through our attendance data. It is shocking that a lot of people have very poor attendance. I would imagine everyone has the basic self-respect to not fleece the company by not even turning up for work. It's even disrespectful to those colleagues who genuinely work hard and contribute. And we don't have any WFH policy except for genuine needs. Monday onwards, a more stringent attendance expectation will start... Let's not insult basic intelligence. Come to work, do good work and feel a part of Ola's mission," he wrote in his December note to employees.  

 

The launch of the "kya chal raha hai?" initiative coincides with Ola’s ongoing restructuring efforts. While Aggarwal has framed it as a step towards greater transparency and accountability, it also signals an increased focus on employee performance, reinforcing expectations that employees consistently demonstrate their contributions to the company.