Work-from-home policy — data & proposed process
Codeaza Technologies
muhammadasim@codeaza.org · codeaza.com
Employees mark WFH via the Ninja Bot “Home” button, which records a reason but requires no approval. Over the last eight weeks the pattern is clear.
The headline: 70% of WFH lands on the days people are expected on-site, with no approval step in between.
Mon–Wed are on-site days; Thu–Fri are the two designated remote days. Monday is the clear favourite — combined with the Thu/Fri remote block, the pattern reads as a long-weekend habit.
Reasons captured on the submissions. Encouragingly, most are genuine — so this is a process gap, not mass abuse.
~72% (weather, health, family-medical, roads) is legitimate. The soft ~29% (“unspecified” + “work delivery”) is exactly what a light approval step filters.
WFH taken specifically on on-site days (Mon–Wed) over the eight weeks — the small group to focus the process on.
Principle: the two designated remote days are your remote budget — plan remote-suited work around them. On-site days are on-site by default; remote on those days is exception-only and needs prior approval.
Two remote days are the allowance
Thursday & Friday are remote for everyone. Batch focus / remote-friendly work into them. No extra “free” remote days beyond these.
On-site-day remote = prior approval only
Remote on Mon–Wed is an exception. It must be requested and approved in advance through the HR Portal (not the no-approval Ninja “Home” button), with a genuine reason. At least a working-day’s notice for planned cases.
No approval → it costs
An unapproved on-site-day remote is docked as a half-day leave (or unpaid if no balance). Not a perk you can silently take — the consequence for skipping the process.
WFH is a full working day
Timer running, standup attended, reachable, same 7h30m SOP and output as an office day. A remote day is not a lighter day.
No Thu→Mon bridging
Taking Monday remote right after the Thu/Fri remote block needs explicit sign-off — this is the long-weekend pattern the data shows.
Real emergencies must never be blocked by process. Weather, however, is deliberately not a blanket WFH reason — the expectation is to come in, and minor weather delay is already absorbed by our punctuality allowance.
Same-day emergencies
Medical, family or safety emergencies: notify your lead before your start time (or as early as possible), work remotely, approved retroactively with a short note / evidence. No penalty for genuine, communicated emergencies.
Weather / rain — come in, plan for it
Rain is routine in monsoon and is not, on its own, grounds for WFH. If weather may slow your commute, leave earlier — a slightly late arrival is already covered by the punctuality allowance (4 late arrivals = 1 leave). Colleagues consistently reach the office and complete their hours on rainy days. A company-wide remote call is reserved for genuinely severe / unsafe conditions only, made by management — not a routine per-rain lever.
Health
Unwell but able to work → WFH with notice. Unable to work → apply as sick leave, not WFH. Recurring health WFH may require supporting documents.
Judge each request on its circumstances — do not treat weather (or any single reason) as an automatic justification.
The gap today is that WFH needs no approval. The process should be light but clear on when to apply and who decides.
Planned WFH — apply by the prior working day
A non-emergency on-site-day WFH must be requested by the previous working day. A request sent Sunday night for Monday is too late — Sunday isn't a working day, so a Monday WFH must be in by Friday. This alone removes most casual same-day “Home” taps.
Illness — as early as possible
If unwell but able to work, apply before the workday begins. If unable to work, it's sick leave, not WFH.
Who owns it
The reporting manager approves; HR tracks every request and owns pattern review + the policy. (To confirm on the call: manager-only vs. manager + HR co-approval.)
Thu & Fri are already remote, then the weekend — so a Monday WFH creates an extended remote stretch. This is the pattern to watch, not to ban outright.
Documented emergencies are always exempt. Use monthly WFH data to spot recurring patterns and address them individually rather than restricting everyone.
Management retains discretion to read intent — a genuine one-off vs. a sustained habit are treated differently.
These are the open decisions to close on the call — the “current lean” is a starting point, not a final position.