Indian-origin founder claims he lost 'best employee' after denying work-from-home request: 'I thought if...'

Following the resignation, he altered his approach to flexible working.

An Indian-origin business leader based in Dubai has prompted discussion on LinkedIn after sharing that turning down a modest flexible working request ultimately contributed to the resignation of one of his top-performing staff members.

Malik A, co-founder of Virtualpartner, described the situation in a post on the professional networking platform. He wrote: “I lost one of our best employees over a work from home request.”

According to Malik, the employee had asked whether she could work from home on Fridays. He acknowledged that her duties were largely self-directed and did not require constant in-office supervision. Nevertheless, he declined the request.

“I thought if I said yes everyone would ask. The office would be empty on Fridays. It would spiral out of control,” he explained.

Malik said the employee accepted the decision without protest at the time. “The employee didn’t argue. Just said okay,” he wrote.

However, two months later, she resigned. During the exit interview, Malik said the earlier refusal was raised. “She said it wasn’t the main reason but it was the moment she realized that I didn’t trust her,” he noted.

He later discovered that the employee had been travelling two hours in each direction to reach the office, with traffic conditions particularly severe on Fridays. Reflecting on the situation, he wrote: “One remote day would’ve changed everything for her.”

Malik acknowledged that his decision had been driven by a concern that had not materialised. “I said no because of a problem that didn’t even exist yet,” he stated.

Following the resignation, he altered his approach to flexible working. “Now I approve every reasonable flexibility request,” he wrote. Addressing his earlier fears, he added: “The office didn’t fall apart. People didn’t abuse it. They just work better.”

He concluded: “Sometimes what we think will create chaos actually creates loyalty.”

The post generated a range of responses from LinkedIn users.

One commenter wrote: “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.”

Another offered a more measured view: “You were not totally wrong initially, at least the intention was not bad. We all learn the hard way. Constant communication is required to achieve and maintain trust.”

A further response commended Malik for acknowledging his error publicly: “Great to see that someone is actually appreciating the true value of their resources and admitting the wrong judgements publicly.”

Another user stated: “Lack of flexibility narrows your available pool of candidates. Not fatal, but far from ideal.”