A startup founder’s approach to getting employees back into the office has sparked a discussion online. Taking to , Amanda Zhu, co-founder of -based firm Recall.ai, shared that her company covers a range of commuting and meal expenses for employees because it expects them to work from the office 5 days a week. She said that move was designed to offset high commuting costs and remove barriers to in-office work.
“Gas is $6-$7/gallon in SF. I expect 5 days in office. That’s why my team’s gas is on the company card. If I want people in the office every day, the office has to be easier than home,” Zhu wrote in a LinkedIn post.
She shared that every employee gets a company card that can be used to pay for gas, parking, Waymo rides, breakfast, lunch, dinners and snacks. “All so we can focus on one thing. To win,” she added.
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What did social media say?
The post quickly gained attention on LinkedIn, with many arguing that covering transportation expenses does not address the time employees lose while commuting.
“This sounds like a massive waste of money. And money doesn’t buy time. I live 18 miles from downtown Boston (and my former company’s US HQ). About a 30 minute drive on a Sunday morning, but around 2.5 hours on Monday morning. There is no amount of paying for gas that gives me back 15 hours a week of my life. Not to mention, at the time I was also traveling around 10 business days a month. I was leaving home at 6:30 am and getting home after 8 pm. And that was assuming I was even in the state. Nope, I’m good. I’ll work for a company that values my time and effort, and I’ll still win,” one user wrote.
“For a company focused on software (The API to get transcripts, recordings, and metadata from meetings.) I see no legitimate reason to “expect” people to come into the office. SF is literally the 2nd most expensive place to live in the country behind New York. If I was running a software company I would expect productivity from my employees but it wouldn’t matter to me if they were in the office, in their pajamas, or on a beach in Du Nang,” commented another.
“Looks like VC money down gas station. In person / In office is important for some roles and meetings. But all 5 days at a company that is built on the idea of analyzing mostly remote meeting data seems a bit excessive!” wrote a third user.
However, some users praised Zhu’s approach.
“This is the way to do in-person work. Never understood why the cost of transportation to the office and parking have always been expected to be paid by the employee. It is a hidden tax on their income that does not benefit them at all. Thank you for setting a good model that other entrepreneurs and business leaders can follow. The best employees will go to companies like yours that care about their impact on their people,” one user commented.
“And that makes complete sense especially for San Francisco which is literally top two one of the most expensive places to live in the United States. It’s not a waste of money it’s showing that your employees time, energy, mental space, and wallets are all taken into account. That is beyond considerate and should be adopted by other companies who require in office 100% of the time. Because it has to be attractive,” said another.
