Venture capital firm draws flak for negative remarks about work-from-home setup

Social media users react

The company sparked backlash from social media users with their post. A TikTok user, for one, noted that they love working from home. "I don't have to force myself to face these [kinds] of toxic people! Super stress-free!" they said.

Another one shared how the WFH setup "makes us earn six digits a month in the comfort of our homes." They added, "No traffic, no rush hour."

"Maybe they just don't see the value and can't say anything good about it. And maybe most of them can't be trusted to WFH hahaha," another user wrote.

There was one who explained why remote work "doesn't really work for everyone."

"WFH doesn't really work on everyone naman talaga. Lalo 'pag tamad talaga ang employee. WFH doesn't encourage laziness, pag ganun, it's an attitude and commitment problem," they said.

'Medyo naging lazy ako'

The multimedia artist, who said that the WFH setup ignited his laziness and complacency, clarified his remarks in a separate video.

"The downside is medyo naging lazy ako, after kong mag-work natutulog ako, gigising akong ten tapos matutulog uli, I wanted to grow kasi, I can only learn so much on my own so I needed people that are better than me, that are you know, I can learn from so I really wanted to join a company that has a good team that would help me grow," he said.

According to him, one of the company's marketers who handles social media also loves working on-site.

"For you to be able to compete in this global market, for you to be able to compete dito sa international playing field, that's something you won't be able to do if you're not growing rapidly," she said, adding that a person's rate of learning is different when they're working from home from working alongside other people. 

Is remote work the best setup in the Philippine context?

In a study conducted by Jobstreet called Decoding Global Talent in 2022, over 15,000 Filipino respondents showed that employees preferred either working from home entirely or being afforded a combination of remote and on-site work—the hybrid model.

In terms of job preferences, while job security was the top priority among the respondents, good work-life balance was no. 2, which the hybrid model can provide, unlike the compressed workweek schedule.

Jobstreet's country manager, Philip Gioca said that the hybrid model "is a much better work setup, because employees can schedule with their supervisors the best time for them to work and where they can render their work."

He added, "On the employer side, companies that shifted to the work-from-home setup during the pandemic have already proven that people can work from home productively."

Gioca also explained that "the hybrid model is the best work setup in the Philippine context" as it is a model that will "continue to be used by companies, and insisted on by many more employees, moving forward."

There isn't a catch-all answer

According to job experts, there isn't a catch-all answer on whether the WFH setup is better than on-site work. It will, after all, depend on the industry you're working in and the individual themselves.

"There are colleagues of mine that can start easily with work just like a normal day. But I would always hear the frustrations and sometimes talks about 'Sana work from home tayo at least may pahinga' or looking forward if there's holidays coming to rest from work," Katreena Duenas, a Talent Acquisition Project Associate in the banking industry said in a previous interview with PhilSTAR L!fe.

Meanwhile, human resource practitioner Jianne Laguatan told L!fe that some people do better in an office environment because they like their work structure, their co-workers, and the separation between their work and home lives.

"Because there are fewer distractions and a more individualized setting, some people might feel that working remotely increases their productivity," she said.

Nonetheless, Jianne noted that employers need to consider asking their workers which work setup they prefer.

"To assess the viability of a hybrid system and get employee input, think about instituting a trial period. This enables modifications to be made in light of practical experience before reaching a final choice," she said.

Katreena echoed this, adding that companies should also consider where their employees would be coming from.

"Having a survey or in-depth discussion with the employees about the working set up can be a great avenue to hear out their sides and opinions about it. Another thing is if they can be aware of where the employees live or the transportation they take on a daily basis for it to be also a deciding factor of the work set-up," she said.

PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to Nimbyx for comment but has yet to receive a reply.