So this one happen just last week lah. Our company give flexi hours and WFH option once a week, which is supposed to help us “increase productivity” and “maintain work-life balance”. Sounds good right? But you know lah, some people abuse the system.
My colleague — let’s call him Desmond — always take Wednesday WFH. Every time he say got a lot of “deep focus work” to do at home, and need “quiet time” to finish proposal. He also like to act very zai in the group chat: typing long paragraphs, sending status updates with big words like “synergise” and “optimise”.
But hor, that day I doing Zoom meeting with another colleague and we both hear something weird in the background. Got this rhythmic clicking sound… “pong!”, “chi!”, “kong!” — confirm is mahjong tiles. Then got old lady voice shout “zi mo!”, and someone else complain “aiyah, always your luck so good one”.
I message him privately ask, “Bro, you got Chinese drama playing in background ah?” He say, “Oh sorry, neighbour house quite noisy, today is Qing Ming maybe they gathering.”
I just keep quiet lah. But then next week same thing happen again. Still got “pong pong pong” and “hu!” Then someone yell “Eh, last round already hor! Winner go buy bee hoon!”
This time I mute my mic and just laugh. My colleague beside me also laughing until must turn off camera.
You tell me lah, WFH or MJH? (Mahjong from home)
Seriously, if like that I also want to apply WFH every Friday, go play DOTA with my cousin and just blame “neighbour’s WiFi lagging”.
Moral of story: boss give trust, don’t abuse. Later your “work from home” become “work from hawker centre” liao. Or worse — work from MOM office.
But to be honest, Desmond quite power leh — can win mahjong and still submit report by 5pm. Multi-tasking level: Legend.