Grab employees told to return to office five days a week

Citing reasons such as needing to facilitate more collaboration and interactions in the office, Singapore tech company Grab has mandated that employees return to office five days a week, starting on December 2.

In an email to employees, CEO Anthony Tan said, “Increasing face-to-face collaboration will accelerate progress and enhance integration across our ecosystem and business units. Returning to a five-day work week aligns with our goals to do more for our mission and to drive faster growth,” reported CNA.

He added that employees will be given a one-month “adjustment period” before the arrangement kicks in on December 2 so that employees can make alternative plans for personal and caregiving responsibilities if needed.

Grab’s announcement comes on the back of an increasing number of global return-to-office (RTO) mandates, headlined by the likes of Tesla and Amazon.

For the latter, despite claims of pushback from employees, Matt Garmen, CEO of Amazon Web Services, claimed that nine out of 10 employees he has spoken with support the RTO policy, while suggesting that those who do not can find alternative employment.

“If there are people who just don’t work well in that (in-office) environment and don’t want too, that’s ok, there are other companies around.”

For Grab, one employee told CNA that Grab has warned of disciplinary action against employees who do not comply with the RTO mandate. She is currently working three days a week in the office and two days from home.

However, she said that Grab will “still accommodate flexible hours and exceptional personal circumstances” when it comes to enforcing the RTO mandate.

READ MORE: Deciding where to work? Intentionality and purpose may be key

Another employee expressed his disappointment with Grab’s announcement, saying, “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.”