A tech professional with a permanent work from home arrangement shared an awkward experience of being caught logging in from a train during an online meeting.
In a now-viral post on Reddit’s ‘r/DevelopersIndia’ community, the man titled his entry: “Got caught working from train instead of home during WFH – did I mess up badly?”
He explained that his company required employees to use a broadband connection of at least 100 Mbps.
“Yesterday, due to some personal reasons, I had to board a train. While on the train, my TL suddenly asked me to share my screen and do an internet speed test in front of everyone. The train was stationary, so I did it, and the result showed \~990 kbps speed (lol, nowhere close to 100 Mbps),” he wrote.
The situation grew worse when a food vendor interrupted him while his microphone was still on. “At that exact moment a food vendor came and asked me if I wanted coffee… and my mic was on. So my TL immediately realised I wasn’t at home,” he added.
According to him, the team lead expressed disappointment and told him the issue was serious. “He called me out, said he was disappointed, and explained how serious this was – even said if it were someone else, I’d have got a warning mail or it would have gone to the ops manager. After the meeting, I quickly messaged him saying I was really sorry and won’t do it again. After about an hour, he just replied ‘okay’,” the post read.
The techie admitted he was worried about the consequences. “Now I’m wondering – how screwed am I? Do you think this could affect my job long-term, or is it more like a ‘one strike and don’t repeat’ kind of situation?” he asked.
In an update, he explained why he had not taken leave. “More context for people asking why I didn’t take leave – I asked my TL yesterday that I needed a half-day but he directly denied and told some rubbish things. I had no other option,” he wrote.
Take a look at the Reddit post here:
Reddit users shared their opinions in large numbers. One of the users questioned the policy itself, writing, “What kind of job are you on that requires these kinds of hard thresholds for internet connectivity? Are you working on a remote desktop and so that speed is a basic requirement to being productive?”
Another user explained, “This 100 Mbps requirement makes sense if you’re using a VPN to connect to company resources. In my company as well, they didn’t explicitly mention that I would need a 100 Mbps connection, but after connecting to the VPN, the speed drops by almost 85%. That’s why I need to use a high-speed Wi-Fi connection.”
Some stressed the need for professionalism in remote work. “Working includes discussions and meetings as well. Imagine somebody joining an important discussion from a train and there is all kinds of noise in the background and their own voice is breaking up and lagging due to poor internet. Situations like these become grounds for employers getting rid of WFH for everyone,” a user noted.
Others pointed out the risks of attending meetings in public spaces. “Please don’t assume that working from home automatically means working from anywhere. Attending calls and meetings in public places is not appropriate, as it can compromise professionalism and confidentiality. OP should respect the WFH guidelines and if they need to step away from work, either apply for leave or inform their manager/team in advance,” said another user.
– Ends
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