A recruiter’s recent LinkedIn post has sparked debate over Gen Z’s approach to remote work, highlighting the tension between flexibility and accountability in today’s job market. The recruiter, identified as Anmol Phutela, noted in the post that many young candidates strongly prefer remote work — a demand employers are increasingly encountering.
“And that’s completely fair — flexibility is the future of work,” the recruiter wrote. “But here’s the reality: while most genuinely want to work, some expect the salary without accountability.”
Sharing a real incident from a recent developer interview at Great Future Technology, the recruiter said the candidate initially seemed well-suited for the role. “The candidate seemed genuinely excited — discussions were smooth, agreements aligned, and we were ready to move ahead with documentation,” the post explained.
However, the process hit a roadblock when the recruiter informed the candidate about the company’s plan to install DeskStreamz, a productivity-tracking software. The tool, according to the post, monitors productivity, attendance, and working hours, similar to office setups.
“His response? A flat refusal,” the recruiter wrote. “He wanted the role and the paycheck, but not the accountability that comes with it.”
The recruiter concluded the post with a reminder: “Work From Home doesn’t mean Work From Anywhere Without Working. It means delivering results with the same responsibility, ownership, and productivity as if you were in the office.”
She further emphasised, “transparency and performance aren’t add-ons — they’re at the heart of the job itself.”
The post went viral in no time, with netizens being flabbergasted at the company’s audacity to install a productivity-tracking software in the employee’s personal laptop.
“It’s not gen z issue mam… It’s your company that’s the issue… Btw will you agree if company wants to install CCTV in your home to track your productivity?? Then why would you install software on their personal asset? You want to track their productivity, give your device, and install whatever you want on it… You can even install stuff remotely,” a user wrote.
A second user commented: “Nobody with a working brain will let you install random shit on their property. Provide him with a company laptop, lol.”
“Productivity is measured by the tasks employees deliver, not by the hours they spend stroking keys on a keyboard. He is absolutely right if he denied that,” a third user said.
“Lol look at the audacity and entitlement of these people to think they have the right to install a tracking mechanism on the employee’s personal laptop. I double checked to see if it’s a sarcastic post (sic),” a fourth user weighed in.