Parminder Singh, COO of Tatler Asia, shared a striking anecdote on X about an experience in India. In this case, a job candidate was rejected by his former boss solely because the candidate listed his hobbies on his resume. The candidate's hobbies - running marathons and playing guitar - made the boss assume he wouldn't have enough time for work. Mr Singh lamented missing the opportunity to hire the "capable marketer" highlighting the outdated managerial mindset prioritising workaholism over work-life balance.
In contrast, Mr Singh reflected on his time at Google, where excellence in all areas was valued. He noted Google's unofficial policy of hiring Olympic athletes, recognising that exceptional skills can transcend domains.
"Once a candidate applied to my team for a marketing role in India. Besides being a capable marketer, his CV mentioned that he runs marathons and plays guitar. My boss didn't let me hire him, saying, "Yeh aadmi yeh sab kuchh karta hai to kaam kab karega?" I thought such managers were extinct. Turns out they aren't," Mr Singh wrote on X.
See the post here:
In another comment, he added, "Since many of you asked—I couldn't hire him, and I regret it. This happened many years ago. I've been away from India and assumed things would have changed, but it looks like they haven't. Compare this to my time at Google, which had an unwritten policy: if you excelled in the Olympics, you could walk into a Google office and get a job. Excellence is a transferable skill."
Notably, Parminder Singh spent over six years at Google as Managing Director for the Asia Pacific advertising business. Additionally, he worked as Managing Director at X for three years.
Reacting to the post, one user wrote, "Your boss was insecure. And there are people like him in every organization. Just because they aren't able to excel in anything else, they believe others who are doing it are incompetent."
Another commented, "The greatest innovators are those who have multiple interests. They have a natural curiosity and a larger worldview. They are the true leaders and not the bookworms." A third said, "Wow, hearing this for the first time. Usually it's bonus points for having genuine interest/hobbies, beyond just traveling, reading. Both such positive downtime options to have energised employee everyday."
Recently, a viral video featuring Larsen & Toubro Chairman SN Subrahmanyan sparked renewed debate about toxic work cultures. In the widely-shared clip, Mr Subrahmanyan endorses a grueling 90-hour workweek and expresses discontent that employees get Sundays off.
He stated, "I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. 3 If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays also.' He further added, 'What do you do sitting at home? 2 How long can you stare at your wife? How long can the wives stare at their husbands? Get to the office and start working."
