A manager claimed that his company’s flexible WFH policy was being exploited by an employee who went for a staycation in Dehradun in the middle of a critical project. The boss recalled that when confronted over days of poor performance and unavailability, the employee demanded the company pay for “5G high-speed internet dongle and laptop power backup.”
“Our organization has no restrictions on coming to office or doing Work from home. Yes we are expected to show up to office in case of client visits or critical work which needs collaboration. But out organization has strictly asked employees to work from base locations where office is present,” the boss wrote on Reddit, adding, “However this one employee went for a 1 month staycation to Dehradun with his wife in the middle of a critical project. This was still ok as long as he could deliver his tasks. But the place where he’s staying has very low internet connectivity.”
The boss explained that the employee often cited “frequent power outages” as an issue and left “important work unattended” for several hours.
“After several days I confronted him and the guy says that if I am worried about his availability, I should reimburse him a 5G high speed internet dongle + power backup for his laptop. (LOL – the level of entitlement),” the manager continued, adding that the employee will be getting a “3-star” in review.
Social media reacts:
An individual posted, “As someone who lived in Dehradun my whole life, Dehradun has a very low number of power outages. Additionally, the Wi-Fi works exceptionally well here. It’s like a normal city, he is probably having fun and travelling.” Another added, “If you have documented multiple instances and discussed these with him. If there is no change in behaviour, consider escalating to HR. Why should his incompetence and attitude problems be tolerated? Set a precedent for no tolerance on such matters. Others in the org may also follow his footsteps. Such things set the wrong precedent for others, and become harder to manage given the loopholes and delayed action.”
A third commented, “Dehradun has great internet connectivity and power outages last only for minutes. I doubt if your employee is in Dehradun or has gone on vacation to nearby hill stations.” A fourth wrote, “That’s always the case. Ten people will work seriously, and you will have one or two people who will cause problems for the rest of the group. Give the lowest rating possible.”