Updated September 2026: in December 2022 I listed my reasons for disliking the return to office, mainly office gossip and time lost in traffic. Office mandates are now policy at most large IT employers, so I have rewritten this around why employees resist them and what actually reduces the cost.
When I wrote the original post, going back to the office was still being discussed. My two complaints were personal: hours lost in peak-hour traffic, and time lost to office chatter and peer pressure that had nothing to do with the work. Both turn out to be among the most common reasons people give.
Why do so many employees resist returning to the office?
Because the costs land on the employee and the benefits are harder to see. A commute in a large Indian city can take two hours or more a day, paid for in fuel or fares and taken out of family time and sleep. The promised benefits, collaboration and culture, are real but uneven: they appear on days the team is actually in together, and disappear on days you commute only to sit on video calls with people in other cities.
Is the commute really the biggest factor?
For most people in large metros, yes. It is the one cost that is paid every single office day and cannot be offset by better work. It is also the one employers can influence most directly: by aligning office days so whole teams come in together, allowing staggered hours to avoid the worst traffic, or letting people choose the office closest to home where a company has more than one.
What about distraction in the office?
Office chatter is not all waste. Quick questions answered in person, and the context you pick up from overhearing the team, are part of what the office is for. The problem is when the office becomes the place for socialising and home becomes the place for focused work, so that the office day produces less. Blocking focus time in your calendar on office days, and doing deep work on home days, is a practical fix.
What can employees reasonably ask for?
- Team-aligned office days, so the commute buys actual time with colleagues.
- Flexible start and end times to avoid peak traffic.
- Clarity on how attendance is counted and whether it affects ratings.
- Exceptions for caregiving or health needs, through a documented process.
These are easier to get than a full exemption, and they address the real costs.
Has my view changed since 2022?
The complaints still stand: traffic and distraction are real costs. What has become clearer is that arguing about comfort does not move employers. Arguing about how the office days are organised, so they are worth the journey, sometimes does.
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