As Grab Announces Five-Day Office Mandate, Employees Express Mixed Reactions
Grab, one of the largest ride-hailing and food delivery companies in Southeast Asia, has introduced a new policy requiring its employees to work from the office five days a week, beginning December 2, 2024. The decision was made public during a town hall meeting earlier this morning.
According to anonymous employees who spoke with local media outlet CNA, the move is aimed at encouraging more in-person collaboration and interaction among colleagues. One employee, who had been with the company for three years, shared her concerns about the new policy, stating that she had anticipated this change, given the company’s recent efforts to ramp up its return-to-office initiatives.
“I’ve been seeing them tighten up policies on office attendance, so I knew this was coming,” she said. “They said there would be disciplinary action against those who don’t comply.”
This trend, where companies are calling employees back to the office, is not a new phenomenon. Tech giant Amazon, for example, announced a similar five-day workweek mandate, effective 2025. The trend gained attention in 2022, when Tesla CEO Elon Musk introduced a strict return-to-office policy, requiring employees to spend a minimum of 40 hours a week in the office.
Not all Grab employees are pleased with the new policy, however. A 20-something employee expressed disappointment and frustration, citing the added commuting time and lack of flexibility. “I was just getting used to having extra time in the evenings to cook dinner and spend with family,” he said. “I don’t see the benefit in coming into the office on all these extra days.”
Grab has yet to comment on the matter, leaving employees to adapt to the new policy. While the company has emphasized that it will still accommodate flexible hours and exceptional circumstances, the shift has raised concerns about the impact on employee productivity and work-life balance.
