LinkedIn user bats for Work From Home after travelling 4.5 hours daily for office, calls it ‘unfair’

Work from the office vs work from home has been a hot topic of debate, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. After the pandemic forced companies to shift to a completely remote work setup, some continued with a hybrid model, while others asked their employees to report back to offices.

Weighing in on the pros of a hybrid work policy allowing work from home multiple days in a week, LinkedIn user Chinmaya Amte shared how, for him, working from the office means a 4.5-hour commute in a day.

“Today, I left my home at 8:30 am in the morning and reached my office desk at 10:45 am. It took me approximately 2.2 hours one way, from Kalyan to Goregaon. While returning it took me about 2.5 hours. So, in total I spent about 4.5 hours on the commute today,” Amte shared in the viral post.

He highlighted that the distance was not much, “just about 46 km from my residence to the office”, but given the Indian infrastructure, “the commute is filled with stress and inconvenience”.

Luckily, Amte said, his employer allows him to work from home multiple days a week, and therefore, the 4.5-hour commute for select days is not a major concern.

The LinkedIn user highlighted the expensive real estate and family commitments as he batted for a hybrid work policy if not entirely work from home.

“But given the expensive real estate in prime areas of metro cities and plus family commitments a person has, asking your employees to travel 5 days a week seems unfair,” he said, adding that working from home also achieves all ESG (Environmental, Social, & Governance) scores for companies.

“Immense respect for Employers who have implemented Hybrid Policy,” Amte remarked.

Check the viral LinkedIn post here:

Here's how netizens reacted:

Chinmaya Amte's post garnered a lot of attention online as several professionals on the social media platform flooded the comment section with their personal experiences.

“Did the same for 7 years while working in a bank branch in Kolkata, India. First 2 years I was posted 150Kms away from home in a small town where I had to stay during weekdays by renting a room and I used to visit home on weekends only,” a netizen said.

Another user highlighted how the stressful long hours of travelling impacts the productivity, a lot more than work for home or hybrid work model can.

“Travelling is the most stressful part of everyday office work. I get extremely tired and then I don't feel like doing anything after coming home,” the user commented.

“Some professions can be turned hybrid and remote, but people don't understand as they assume it would impact the productivity. The productivity is anyways impacted because people don't get proper sleep when they have to wake up early and leave for work and come home late at night. We are all working with half energy everyday which will ultimately take a massive toll on our health,” she said, adding that she's not even touching mental health here.

“Getting a place near your Office in Mumbai is a privilege only top management can afford,” said a user as some LinkedIn users suggested getting home closer to work to Amte.