A Gurugram-based professional explained why he prefers leaving work late instead of early, and it has nothing to do with workload or toxic work culture.
In a now-viral post on LinkedIn, Tanmay Jain, who works at an e-commerce enablement firm, shared that he dislikes leaving office early; not because he’s a workaholic, but because of Gurugram’s traffic.
“I hate leaving office early,” he began his post, before clarifying, “Not because I don’t have a life outside work, or because my workplace is toxic. In fact, it’s one of the healthiest environments I’ve been in.”
“The real reason?” he wrote, adding, “When I leave late, I don’t have to battle Gurugram’s rush-hour traffic.”
He went on to explain how his routine helps him stay more productive: “I arrive late. I leave late. And in doing so, I get back my mornings. Time to read, lift, play. Time to start the day with myself before giving it to work.”
Jain added that avoiding traffic not only saves time but also protects mental energy.
“Psychologists like Daniel Kahneman have shown that every small drain on our mental energy hurts the quality of our decisions. An hour stuck in traffic is exactly that kind of drain. It leaves you depleted before you’ve even opened your laptop,” he wrote.
Encouraging others to try his approach, Jain said, “If you have the option to tweak your timings, try it once. Escaping the rush hour might be the simplest productivity hack no one talks about.”
Take a look at the viral LinkedIn post here:
The post prompted other professionals, who related to his experience of navigating city traffic, to react.
“How do you manage parking if you arrive late?” a user quipped.
Another user wrote, “It’s time we wiped away the old-school mindset that equates fixed hours with productivity. True efficiency often comes from flexibility, not just clocking in ‘on time’.”
Several users offered alternative solutions. “Why not start early at 7 a.m. and finish early? Maybe cycle to work — Gurugram’s metro network can support that,” a user suggested.
“Used to do the same thing navigating Chennai traffic. Once you try this, you can never go back to rush-hour madness,” shared another user.
One of the users from the US commented, “This looks a lot like Atlanta, Georgia — and why I’m grateful to have a WFH role now. I gained back three hours a day. My employer gained a happier employee. My family gained a happier mum. Traffic is the quickest way to ruin anyone’s day.”
See the comments here:
Tanmay Jain’s post was relatable for those who spend hours stuck in traffic daily.
– Ends