UPDATE: In a bold move to encourage employees to return to the office, AI customer service platform Sendbird has introduced free Friday lunches for those who show up in person. This initiative aims to boost attendance at their San Mateo headquarters, with the first lunch set to take place this week.
The free lunch, featuring popular bahn mi sandwiches from a local Vietnamese restaurant, has already gained traction among staff. Yeji Yoon, Sendbird’s chief of staff, revealed in an interview with Business Insider that the idea originated from the company’s chief financial officer, who enjoys these sandwiches and aimed to make Fridays more appealing for in-person work.
Since early 2024, Sendbird has mandated that employees who can work on-site do so on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. However, many teams, including finance, have opted to join colleagues in the office on Fridays as well, citing improved collaboration.
Yoon explained, “Our CFO would start going around asking anyone else in the office, do you want a sandwich? It just became this regular thing, so it grew extremely organically.” This informal tradition has led to the creation of a dedicated Slack channel for Friday lunches, where employees submit their orders by 11 a.m. on Fridays.
The initiative also highlights the growing recognition that remote work may not be sustainable for all roles, especially with the rapid advancements in AI. Yoon emphasized, “Remote roles are best when there’s no real dependency on collaboration… Now, especially with AI, everything is changing so quickly.”
As companies like Sendbird adapt to the evolving workplace landscape, their strategies aim to strike a balance between flexibility and necessary in-person collaboration. While Friday lunches may not become an official office requirement, the allure of a free meal might just be the incentive employees need to return on a regular basis.
This developing story underscores a significant shift in workplace dynamics amid changing expectations and technologies. Stay tuned for further updates on how these initiatives impact employee attendance and collaboration at Sendbird and beyond.
