- Malik A. denied a remote work request fearing an empty office on Fridays
- A top employee quit after feeling a lack of trust during exit interview
- Employee endured two-hour commutes; one remote day could have helped
In a rare moment of corporate accountability, a Dubai-based entrepreneur recently went viral on LinkedIn for admitting a costly managerial blunder. Malik A., co-founder of Virtualpartner, revealed how his refusal to grant a simple work-from-home request led to the departure of a top-performing employee.
Despite the employee's role being largely independent, Malik denied the flexibility out of fear that it would lead to an empty office, a decision that ultimately backfired.
"I thought if I said yes, everyone would ask. The office would be empty on Fridays. It would spiral out of control," Malik wrote, adding: "The employee didn't argue. Just said okay."
However, two months later, the employee quit the company and mentioned in the exit interview that the refusal by the boss made her realise that she wasn't trusted.
"In the exit interview, she mentioned the Friday thing. She said it wasn't the main reason but it was the moment she realized that I didn't trust her. Turns out she'd been commuting two hours each way. Friday traffic was the worst. One remote day would've changed everything for her."
Taking his learnings from the incident, Malik said sometimes embracing chaos may lead to loyalty. If he had accepted the rather innocuous request, he still would have a hardworking employee at his disposal.
"I said no because of a problem that didn't even exist yet. Now I approve every reasonable flexibility request. And guess what? The office didn't fall apart. People didn't abuse it. They just work better. Sometimes what we think will create chaos actually creates loyalty."
Check The Viral Post Here:
'Happens Almost Everywhere'
As the post went viral, social media users highlighted that companies and bosses only start valuing their employees once they leave the organisation.
"Lack of flexibility narrows your available pool of candidates. Not fatal, but far from ideal," said one user, while another added: "That's a powerful lesson. Most leaders don't lose people over policies, they lose them over what those policies signal."
A third commented: "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. Happens almost everywhere."
A fourth said: "You were not totally wrong initially atleast the intention was not bad. We all learn the hard way. I learnt too that constant communication is required to one achieve the trust and second to maintain that."
