Mumbai startup fines employees Rs 200 for late arrivals; founder ends up paying Rs 1,000 fine himself

Rules are for everyone, even the boss! In a surprising turn of events, Kaushal Shah, the founder of Mumbai-based cosmetics brand Evor Beauty, found himself paying fines for being late— penalties from a policy he himself had established to ensure punctuality at his company.

Determined to enhance staff punctuality and overall productivity, Shah introduced a strict policy: all employees were required to report to the office by 9:30 AM or face a Rs 200 penalty for being late.

The plan seemed straightforward enough, but fate had a twist in store for Shah himself.

Barely a week after implementing the policy, Shah found himself repeatedly caught by the very rule he had set. In a surprising turn of events, he ended up paying Rs 1,000 as a result of multiple late arrivals.

Taking to X with a mix of frustration and humour, Shah shared his experience, even posting a screenshot of his fine payments to show he had indeed been fined five times.

"Last week, To increase the productivity in office, I made a strict rule for everyone to be in the office by 9:30 am (earlier we used to come by 10-11) and if we‘re late, we pay Rs.200 as penalty. This is me paying it for the 5th time," he wrote.

Last week,

To increase the productivity in office,

I made a strict rule for everyone to be in the office by 9:30 am (earlier we used to come by 10-11)

and if we‘re late, we pay Rs.200 as penalty.

This is me paying it for the 5th time🫠 pic.twitter.com/4qYi6kTP17

— Kaushal (@_kaushalshah) June 19, 2024

The post, which has now received over 136,000 views, garnered amusement from hundreds of users, with many applauding Shah for holding himself accountable to the same standards as his employees. However, several users raised humorous inquiries about the fine collection.

'Paid to self,' a user wrote.

'Paying to whom? Your current account,' another asked.

In response, Shah clarified that he had set up a separate UPI Lite account specifically for collecting fines.

"As for the concern about paying the penalty to my own UPI wallet, please note that I have created a separate UPI Lite account specifically as a team fund. The money collected is used solely for team activities and benefits, such as dining and other team events," he wrote.

It seems my intention behind this post was misunderstood.

I shared that tweet to emphasize an important principle for founders and leaders:
if you establish a rule for your employees, you must be the first to follow it.

As for the concern about paying the penalty to my own UPI…

— Kaushal (@_kaushalshah) June 20, 2024

"I see your intent Kaushal but I think there are better ways to increase team productivity. Nevertheless, I applaud your attempt at this," a user wrote.

"FYI: UPI Lite can be activated and used on a single device and any 3rd person can't access it. Then how it's a team fund ?