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Indian-origin founder reflects on losing 'best employee' after rejecting WFH request: 'I said no because...'
An Indian-origin co-founder based in Dubai said that denying Friday WFH request led to a top employee's exit.
An Indian-origin co-founder based in Dubai has sparked a discussion on LinkedIn after admitting that refusing a simple work-from-home request led to the resignation of one of his “best employees”.
In his post, Malik A, co-founder of Virtualpartner, recounted how the employee had asked if she could work remotely on Fridays. He said that her role was largely independent, but he declined the request. “I thought if I said yes everyone would ask. The office would be empty on Fridays. It would spiral out of control,” he wrote.
Malik said that the employee did not push back at the time. “She didn’t argue. Just said okay,” Malik noted. However, two months later, she resigned.
During her exit interview, Malik said that she mentioned the denied Friday request. While she clarified that it was not the sole reason for quitting, she said it was the moment she realised that her manager did not trust her.
Malik later learned that she had been commuting two hours each way, with Friday traffic being the worst. “One remote day would’ve changed everything for her,” he wrote, reflecting on his decision.
“I said no because of a problem that didn’t even exist yet,” he added, admitting that his fears about the office “falling apart” were unfounded.
Following the incident, Malik said he began approving “every reasonable flexibility request”. Contrary to his earlier concerns, he claimed that employees did not misuse the policy. “The office didn’t fall apart. People didn’t abuse it. They just work better,” he wrote, concluding that what managers often fear as chaos can instead build loyalty.
How did social media react?
The post drew several reactions from LinkedIn users.
“It’s funny how companies suddenly start listening only after someone resigns. When employees are still around and trying to address real problems, their voices often go unheard,” one user commented.
Another wrote, “You were not totally wrong initially, at least the intention was not bad. We all learn the hard way. Constant communication is required to achieve and maintain trust.”
A third user praised Malik for acknowledging his mistake publicly, while another pointed out that remote work requires a different management style and balance, as some may take advantage of flexibility.
“Great to see that someone is actually appreciating the true value of their resources and admitting the wrong judgements publicly,” wrote a third user.
“I agree mostly, and have had my own sort of revelation on this topic. However, there are also many who would take advantage of the remote work situation so it requires a different kind of management style IMO. Like many other things, balance is key,” said another.
