Delhi began the week under a dull grey dome. India Today reported that the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) had dropped to 354, in the “very poor” category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The previous day’s reading — 390 — was worse still.
Across the capital, monitors glowed red: Anand Vihar at 379, ITO at 376, Chandni Chowk at 360. In the satellite cities, Noida’s Sector 62 hit 342, Gurugram’s Sector 51 recorded 327, and Faridabad hovered at 230–238. At India Gate, families stood masked in protest — parents and children calling for urgent action.
But behind the civic outrage lies a quieter crisis that business leaders can no longer ignore: when the air poisons the workforce, the economy suffocates too.
From the clinic to the cubicle
The city’s doctors are documenting the fallout with worrying precision. The Hindu reported a 60% rise in eye-related ailments — redness, burning, dryness and excessive watering — since Deepavali’s smoke mixed with winter air.
Dr Ikeda Lal, senior cornea, cataract and refractive surgery specialist at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, “Every year after Deepavali, we brace for a rise in eye complaints. The number of patients complaining of itching, redness, and irritation has gone up by almost 50–60%.”
He added that severe allergies are becoming routine. “Those who already have dry eyes are experiencing much more discomfort than usual. The combination of pollution, dust, and chemical exposure is proving extremely harmful for the ocular surface.”
At AIIMS, Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology at the RP Centre, said that cases of dryness and burning had increased “by around 50%”. Many patients report their eyes feeling gritty or heavy — classic symptoms of pollution-induced ocular allergy. Fine particles such as PM 2.5 and PM 10 settle on the surface, damage the tear film and trigger inflammation. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.
Both doctors advised limiting outdoor exposure, wearing protective eyewear, using lubricating drops and ensuring indoor air purification. Ignoring irritation, they warned, can lead to long-term damage to the cornea and tear glands.
The illusion of ‘getting used to it’
If the eyes are the first line of defence, the lungs are the long-term casualty.
Dr Arjun Khanna, Head of Pulmonology at Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, dismantled one of Delhi’s most dangerous myths — that long-time residents become immune to bad air. “There is no physiological mechanism that lets the body get immune to polluted air,” he said, as per a media report. “Unlike bacteria or viruses, pollutants do not trigger protective immunity. What your body builds over time is not resilience; it is sensory fatigue.”
The body stops protesting — but the damage continues. Dr Khanna warned that chronic exposure worsens asthma, heart disease and even neurological disorders. “Pollutants weaken natural defences; they do not strengthen them.”
Dr Abha Mahashur, senior chest physician at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, described the effect vividly: “Every breath you take in polluted air is like stepping deeper into a toxic swamp.” In both human and animal studies, she said, chronic exposure aggravates oxidative stress and systemic inflammation. Once the body crosses certain thresholds, “the damage becomes permanent.”
For HR leaders and business heads, this is not just medical detail — it is a clear warning about workforce sustainability. A body in constant low-grade inflammation is a body that tires faster, focuses less, and falls ill more often.
The brain fog economy
The haze doesn’t end at the lungs. It creeps into cognition.
Dr Vinit Banga, Director and Head of Neurology at Fortis Hospital, said polluted air can affect the brain in ways that resemble a mild concussion. “You’re not just imagining it if you’ve ever stepped outside on a smoggy day and felt foggy-headed, dizzy, or unusually tired,” he explained, according to a report.
When PM 2.5 particles breach the lungs, they travel through the bloodstream to the brain, sparking inflammation and oxidative stress that interfere with neuron communication. The result? Headaches, slower thinking, irritability and mood swings — the physiological equivalent of a fogged lens.
Dr Banga recommended staying indoors with air purifiers on poor-air days, using N95 masks outdoors, staying hydrated and avoiding strenuous exercise. Yet he acknowledged that individual precautions only go so far; the long-term solution lies in reducing emissions.
For employers, this means the “smog hangover” is no longer metaphorical. It’s neurological — and measurable in meeting rooms where energy, patience and precision visibly dip.
When wellbeing becomes an operational risk
The connection between pollution and productivity is direct. Watery eyes reduce screen comfort. Shortness of breath limits stamina. Chronic fatigue and brain fog slow decisions. In sectors that depend on human focus — finance, consulting, IT, logistics — these effects translate into real losses.
This is presenteeism, not absence. Employees show up, but they perform below their potential. For knowledge work, the cost hides in misjudged emails, slower analysis and drained creativity. For field and delivery staff, it means health risks that multiply with every shift outdoors.
In HR terms, Delhi’s smog has become a silent attrition driver. It saps morale, increases health claims, and makes the physical office less attractive to talent already negotiating hybrid options.
The leadership question: how do we adapt without normalising harm?
The real challenge before business and HR leaders is cultural, not only operational. When the city turns grey, organisations must decide whether to pause, protect, or proceed as usual.
Workplace leaders can take small, evidence-based steps:
- Integrate AQI triggers– shift to remote or staggered schedules when pollution crosses “very poor.”
- Protect on site– ensure HEPA filters are serviced, distribute N95 masks, and provide safe indoor zones for breaks.
- Plan for exposure – rotate field staff to limit time outdoors, particularly for older or sensitive employees.
- Communicate and educate– share simple, credible guidance from medical experts without adding panic.
These aren’t welfare gestures; they’re continuity strategies. The cleaner the air inside, the clearer the thinking becomes outside.
Reframing the conversation
For years, Indian workplaces have discussed wellbeing through the lens of stress, workload and mental health. Air pollution now demands a broader definition: environmental wellbeing. It connects public health to performance management, and civic responsibility to corporate resilience.
The irony is sharp — India’s growth engines sit in its most polluted corridors. If breathing itself becomes labour, no productivity metric can remain untouched. Clean air, therefore, isn’t just a sustainability line in an ESG report; it’s the foundation of every future-of-work conversation.
As Delhi’s haze thickens, it confronts leaders with an uncomfortable truth: environmental neglect is no longer abstract risk; it’s immediate disruption.
Protecting people’s health is not philanthropy. It is strategy. It is retention. It is the ability to think clearly in a fogged economy.
The city’s smog will fade with the wind, but the question for India Inc. will remain: who took the air seriously when it mattered?