Grab mandates full return to office from Dec 2, employees “disappointed” with the sudden move

Grab will require its employees to work five days a week in the office starting in December, as announced during a company town hall this morning (October 24).

According to an article by CNA, employees who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that the mandate will take effect from December 2, 2024, onwards.

The reason for the shift, which was explained during the town hall, was to encourage more in-person collaboration and interaction at the office.

One employee shared with CNA that she had anticipated this change, as the company had been “ramping up” returning to the office since mid-2023 and tightened its policies regarding office attendance earlier this year.

“They said there would be disciplinary action against those who don’t comply (with return-to-office mandates),” the employee, who is in her 30s, told CNA. She has been working with the company for three years. 

Currently, she spends three days a week in the office and two working from home.

More companies summoned employees back to office post-COVID

Grab’s new back-to-office policy came after tech giant Amazon announced a similar five-day office work mandate, which will start in 2025, last month.

This trend first came under scrutiny in 2022, when Tesla CEO Elon Musk imposed a strict return-to-office rule, demanding employees to clock a minimum of forty hours a week in the office.

When asked if Grab’s decision follows the same spirit as Tesla’s, the Grab employee said the company will “still accommodate flexible hours and exceptional personal circumstances”. 

Another Grab employee in his 20s expressed his disappointment to CNA over the sudden decision. He explained that he found the current work arrangement—three days in the office and two days working from home—suitable for his workflow.

“Whilst I acknowledge the benefits that face-to-face interaction brings, there are days when I don’t have meetings, and do not see any particular benefit that work from office brings on such days,” he said.

He added that his daily commute takes approximately an hour each way, and returning to the office for an additional two days a week would mean an extra four hours of commuting time.

“I was looking to spend time in the evenings cooking dinner on my now extinct work-from-home days with the time saved from the commute.” 

Grab has yet to respond to media enquiries about the move.

Featured Image Credit: Grab