One day, I received a call from Zepto's HR team about an opportunity to join their Growth Team.
Having worked with Swiggy, I decided to explore the role, primarily for the potential learnings and the salary hike.
However, the first round itself was a major turn-off. The interviewer joined the call late but thanked me for being available on a Saturday. I was actually fine with it since weekends are usually less hectic, and work calls don’t bother me much then.
But what she said next completely changed my perspective. She casually mentioned that their team regularly works until 11/12 at night and expects availability on Saturdays and Sundays too.
Hearing this in the very first call, I couldn't help but think, If they're this upfront about such a culture, the reality must be far worse.
Good that she was this upfront, but better had been if that would have been told by the HR team only :)
There are many success stories where companies had to be aggressive & impactful in their initial years, but recovered later.
Working at Zepto for 2+ years, we recommend HRs to inform the candidates upfront because we know it's not everyone's cup of tea, and we respect that. The plan is to not surprise/trouble people after they join.
Yet, some people take this up as a challenge and prepare themselves for the hardwork & the grind. This is a stress test, to understand one's limits. Most people don't know their limits. This is one way of realising that you can do much more than you can imagine.
As for the burn-outs, I strongly believe that people should watch out for themselves consciously. If they are burning out, there's no point working under pressure.
My education till +2 was a lot of pressure, pain and misery. I had gastric and a lot more problems. I didn't enjoy my time.
But with more pressure at Zepto, I'm able to run the show for 2+ years. That's because I love the work I do. I'm building a strong portfolio (problems solved) as long as I can. If I tend to burn out, I would quit consciously and choose a different company. But until then, I'm definitely growing.
This is what Zepto internally wants people to feel & do. Working till 11pm sounds scary to me as well but there were many times (NOT EVERYDAY) that I worked beyond 11. Also, btw, no one starts work until 12pm. So, effectively it's just 9-10 hours of work avg.
Work on Weekends? Yes, but NOT EVERY weekend. Most people enjoy their free times.
But we also make ourselves available on some weekends because we're all working towards a common goal and some exceptions will always be there. All this is done out of PASSION, not compulsion (for most people). Otherwise, Zepto wouldn't have reached where it is today.
Informing candidates upfront is great
More power to you for the clarity on why this is worth it I hope your hard work pays off 🙌🏻
Is that why you use dark patterns and sneak in extra charges without being transparent with users? All this bs just tells me you have a clueless leadership
They are going the Byjus way, will be interesting to how their business model sustains
Do they put money also where there mouth is ? Do they pay handsomely ?
I would honestly not mind someone being upfront about how they operate. It's better than joining and then realising it's not for you.
I'll be joining as sde3 most probably in wallet, customer support or order management service.
Can you someone from zepto help me about how's the work in these teams, people, overall wlb ( do you need to work always on weekends?)
#zepto
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