Former Zomato Employee Opens Up About Transformative Yet Demanding Work Environment
Ragini Das, who dedicated six years to Zomato's sales and marketing teams, has shared a candid reflection on her time at the food delivery giant. Her insights come in response to founder Deepinder Goyal's recent invitation for former staff to consider returning, highlighting the company's evolution. Das, now with Google India, credits Zomato for instilling speed, resilience, and long-term thinking, while also cautioning that the workplace is not designed for comfort.
Zomato's Intense Culture: Not for the Faint-Hearted
According to Das, Zomato operates far beyond a typical nine-to-five job. She emphasized that predictability and strict hours are scarce in this environment. "If you want to clock in and clock out, you won't survive Zomato. It is intense. It's fast. It's demanding," she wrote on LinkedIn. This very intensity, she argues, is what drives personal and professional transformation, pushing employees to grow beyond their limits.
Trust and Responsibility: Key Pillars of Growth
One of the standout features of Zomato's culture, as described by Das, is the immense trust placed in employees from an early stage. She shared a personal anecdote: at just 26 years old, she was entrusted with a million-dollar budget to launch a new product. "How many companies hand that kind of war chest to a 26-year-old?" she reflected, noting that this trust forced her to rise to the occasion and figure things out independently.
From Humble Beginnings to Significant Achievements
Das joined Zomato in 2013 as a sales and marketing manager and steadily climbed the ranks. By her departure in 2019, she had become the first member of the Zomato Gold team in India. She highlighted the stark contrast in her responsibilities: starting with pitching banner ads worth Rs 3,000 at age 22 and eventually closing deals worth Rs 60 lakh. "Between those two numbers is where the grit was built," she wrote, underscoring the journey of resilience and skill development.
Infectious Energy and Lasting Impact
Her post also touched on the enthusiastic atmosphere at Zomato, where work rarely felt burdensome. "Monday blues, wha? In 6 years, I think I had Monday blues maybe three times. When you are surrounded by the most passionate people in the room, the energy is infectious," she said. This environment honed her communication skills, bolstered her resilience, and provided ample room for both professional and personal growth.
Online Resonance and Broader Implications
The reflection resonated widely on social media, drawing praise from users who appreciated the honesty about high-intensity workplaces. Comments highlighted how such cultures foster a lifelong mindset of potential and achievement. Das's story serves as a testament to the transformative power of challenging work environments, while also reminding that they are not suited for everyone seeking a conventional career path.
