Raul Vargas, the new CEO of Farmers Group, an LA-based insurance company, has triggered a major backlash from his staff after changing what was supposed to be the company’s permanent remote work policy.
Employees from Farmers Group raged on the internal staff social media platform about the CEO’s decision last month. He stated in an email that in-office work is important for “collaboration, creativity, and innovation.” With this statement, according to a spokeswoman for the company, around 60% of the company’s 22,000 employees will be affected.
Most employees stated that over the past year, they had made substantial life decisions such as homeschooling their kids, looking after their elderly relatives, or moving closer to family. A worker reportedly wrote that the power move is “frankly disgusting” as they sold their house to be closer to their grandkids and that it’s sad to “have made a huge financial decision based on a lie.
According to the CEO’s mail, employees have three months to make the necessary change before the new on-site policy takes effect in September.
