A Mumbai based techie has sparked a debate on work from home and exhausting office commutes after sharing her experience of working remotely following an injury.
Taking to Instagram, Dharani Arikrishnan shared a video in which she said she recently suffered a hairline fracture and was given 20 days of work from home. However, after just a week of working remotely, she began questioning why such flexibility is not more common, particularly for software developers and others whose jobs can be done from home.
“I got injured recently, a hairline fracture because of which I got 20 days work from home. Within working from home for a week, I started thinking why is this not normal, especially for software developers? Because the kind of work I do, or we do, most of the time is just completely onto us. We don’t really have a lot of dependencies,” she said in the video.
Arikrishnan clarified that she was not against going to office or working with colleagues. Her concern, she said, was about the toll that daily travel takes on employees, especially in a city like Mumbai.
“My point is, travelling is so exhausting, especially in cities like Mumbai. Almost 4 hours of my day, every day, goes into travelling, which is so exhausting, I can’t tell you,” she said.
She added that working from home helped her follow a healthier routine. “After working from home just for one week, I realised that if I’m not running to catch a local train as of my life depends on it, oh, by the way, do not run while catching a local train because you see this? I fell down twice while doing that, so I do not run anymore. Anyways, so if I don’t do that, if I eat my meals properly, peacefully, if I sleep properly, if I have some time for myself, if I work out, all of this done together, my work life actually feels so much better,” she said.
She further said she felt more focused and less drained while working remotely. “I am more focused, I am able to do my job with interest, and also use my brain because I’m not exhausted by 2 hours of travelling by the time I reach my office. So, with all this being said, my question is, why is it not normalised yet?”
The clip was shared with the caption, “It’s for anyone whose job can be done from home. I’m speaking from my own experience here. But honestly, travelling alone drains the life out of you and leads to burnout.”
Internet reacts
The video prompted several users to share their own thoughts on office commutes and remote work. One user wrote, “Swear! WFH/hybrid is the best option for maximum productivity. If only micromanaging wasn’t the norm.” Another said, ““Hybrid work is great for mental, financial and physical health. I said what I said.”” A third commented, “Work from home should be normal for roles where physical presence is not needed.” Another user added, “Companies talk about productivity but ignore how much energy travel takes away.”