Boss Says That 'Ambition & Proactiveness Are Toxic Employee Traits' — 'A Depressed Employee Is A Good Employee'
Depressed employees are essentially trapped by a paycheck.
LinkedIn, Idutko / Shutterstock The theory on what makes a good employee differs from one person to the next. Some people want employees who take initiative, while others want workers who simply take orders without question. But one man’s hypothesis on what constitutes a "good" employee is raising eyebrows on the r/LinkedInLunatics subreddit.
A man named Bux Khurana, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, was born into one of the “world’s few and oldest native families in the crypto industry,” shared a post on his LinkedIn that he claimed would help startups get the best results when it came to who they hired. Then, he dropped a bombshell, saying, “Secret 24: A depressed employee is a good employee.”
Khurana was sure to point out that he is not an advisor, so his words shouldn’t be construed as such. Instead, he said that the secret he was about to share was what was currently being done in the industry.
The boss said that startup founders make the mistake of hiring ambitious, proactive, entrepreneurial people like themselves.
Photo: Reddit / LinkedIn
“The mistake startup founders make is that they hire employees similar to themselves. Ambition, proactiveness, reputation are TOXIC traits for an early-stage startup,” he said. Khurana then explained his reasoning.
He pointed out that it costs money to hire and train a new employee and that employers typically only break even after an employee has worked at their company for a year. If you know anything about the startups, you are well aware that people don’t stick around long, so according to Khurana, a year on the job is a stretch.
“You would much rather have an employee produce 40% of the output but stay for a year than have someone produce 100% output but leave within a few months,” he suggested.
He said depressed employees are preferred because they depend on their employer.
Unlike employees who have an entrepreneurial spirit, Khurana believes that depressed employees are somewhat trapped in their jobs.
They fear losing the salary and, according to him, it becomes an addiction, similar to drugs. That dependence has then in such a tight chokehold that they don’t even consider quitting their job and moving on.
Photo: Kite_rin / Shutterstock
On the other hand, he says that startup founders who hire candidates who are ambitious and entrepreneurial are taking a “massive” risk and the odds are not in their favor. This is one of the “startup secrets” he shares in his upcoming e-book.
But startups actually need ambitious talent.
Before we get into what makes a startup successful, let’s point out that it actually takes six months on average to recoup hiring and training costs associated with new employees. In the startup environment, the average tenure is about two years, so most companies do break even pretty early on in the employer-employee relationship.
With that said, it is vital that new businesses have ambitious workers to push their agenda forward. People you bring onto your team have to be inspired by your vision and align with it, able to take initiative and "see" your blind spots, be competitive, and have confidence and thick skin. Those traits are typically found in highly ambitious people.
It is a given that once an employee feels they have given all they could for your organization, they will move on — and that’s okay. As a founder, your role is to give space for people to reach their highest potential, so you get maximum return. If they have done that in your organization, you encourage their growth and upward mobility.
Employees move on. It’s part of life. Maintain good relationships with former employees so they are willing to hop on board when you come up with your next brilliant business venture.
Good mental and emotional health for your employees is key to the success of your business.
Eighty-seven percent of startup workers say that working there has negatively impacted their mental health. So, even those that come into these organizations in a good mental state leave in a worse position due to the lack of support and non-existent work-life balance, the fast pace, the focus on personal achievement, the high expectations, and the competitive nature.
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Contrary to what Khurana believes, a workforce who is facing mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety will have increased burnout, will be disengaged, and will be much more likely to leave than a person who is of sound mind.
Helping to build a business from the ground up requires employees who are innovative and creative. People do their best work when they are supported, challenged, respected, and mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy.
Using an employee’s mental health struggles to trap them at your company is not only unethical. It’s gross and it says a lot about who you are as a person.
NyRee Ausler is a writer and author from Seattle, Washington. She covers issues navigating the workplace using the experience garnered over two decades of working in Human Resources and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.