Struggling With Forced Work-From-Office Policy – Need Genuine Advice
I’m really frustrated with my company’s work-from-office policy, and it’s starting to affect me emotionally and physically. I live 140 km away from Bangalore. After losing my mother during COVID, it’s just me and my father at home. He is retired and prefers to stay in our hometown because of his routine and friends—something I completely understand.
But since TCS enforced 5-day mandatory office attendance, I had to move to Bangalore. The painful part is that none of my team members are even located here. I sit alone in the office, talk to no one, finish my hours, and return to an empty room. Meanwhile, my father stays alone back home. Every time I leave him and come back to Bangalore, I feel like crying, but I keep it inside because I have responsibilities.
It’s been almost 1.5–2 years of this emotional struggle. Whenever my father calls, I feel a burning sensation in my stomach due to stress. Recently, he fell sick, and even then my manager refused to grant me just two days of work-from-home.
I’m spending money on rent, eating outside food, and damaging my health—while still working completely alone in an office where my team doesn’t even exist. It just feels pointless.
Many people say to resign or switch jobs, but honestly, with the current project pressure and family commitments, it’s not possible for me right now.
I just wanted to share my situation and hear if anyone else has gone through something similar or has any practical suggestions.
Look for projects with wfh. Else ask your manager to approve rto exemption or give you release. One of friends gave some guy his id card and told him to swipe daily on his behalf This has its own risk but it works. If you find someone who can take 10-15k from you every month and get this done then nothing like it.
Tcs have lost ethics due to these kinds of a$$lickers Managers and HRs who are solely responsible for this , I don't think they care about anyone they are just busy licking @$$ .. hope these morons suffer their future life painfully and karma will hit them back with interest. They will realise that pain when they will face it with their own family.
There is no reason for working from the office that too on a mandatory forced basis. In this modern era, where all of our work can be done virtually we have been forced to work from the office. I bet 90% of people are just physically present there only 10% are going on their will but no one can do anything due to these a$$holes .
If someone can share a list of companies that still follow WFH will be helpful. As far as I know every company is now asking at least 2 days wfo. WFH if allowed fully depends on the project. I am seeing new moms, people having seriously ill parents are being forced to wfo in TCS. no exceptions are getting approved.
Hybrid work culture is good and can be practised but 5 days office is worst
I am in a somewhat similar situation like you, but my home is nearer to the office at a daily commutable distance.
Zero team members at my location, I go to the office to connect with them via teams. Wasting about 2-3 hrs daily while driving.
If the situation is becoming unbearable for you - then please upskill & leave TCS to join some organisation that offers full WFH (do a cost benefit analysis and you may be the winner even if you take a paycut).
TCS won't move from their position, in fact the enforcement would become more and more tough in the coming days.
Thanks for your valuable suggestions
My advise is just keep this routine till march or till band distribution then just do wfh then you will get time to prepare but don't do anything till march coz they may give you D band and then pip which happened to me luckyly i survived it and don't argue with your managers in this matter even after march just say this is issue and I'm doing wfh
Quit .
Bro, firstly I'm glad you spoke up. It's not good to keep things inside and keep getting stressed, there is no sure shot way of getting WFH exception, but this is what I'm doing and i suggest you do the same, please do it only at your own risk and this is not recommended:
Take your ID card and find a friend, a really close friend who lives near office. Give him your ID card. Ask him to just swipe in and sipe out daily morning at 6. U will get 9+ hours if you do it daily before and after 6. Also as many people states there is a risk of getting caught, well simple solution for that at the front of the ID card, ensure you make his picture, pretty easy using Adobe Photoshop. And at th back of the ID card, it's your access.
FYI- since it's cold season we are all wearing caps, scarfs, sweaters, there is no way of any risk of getting caught.
Now having said that, do this at your own risk. I have done it for some days but then got relocated near office and started doing myself
