When a virtual meeting began, the worker tried to keep things discreet but was caught off guard when the team lead asked for a live internet speed test. The train had stopped at a station, and the test revealed a speed of barely 990 kbps—a far cry from the company’s strict 100 Mbps broadband requirement.
If that wasn’t enough, the microphone picked up a food vendor offering coffee in the background, instantly exposing the fact that the employee wasn’t at home.
Boss Reacts, Employee Apologises
The post notes that the team lead called out the employee in front of colleagues, expressing disappointment and stressing that the incident could have resulted in a warning or escalation to management. The worker later sent a message of apology, which received only a curt “okay” in response.
The employee wondered aloud on Reddit whether this would affect their long-term prospects at the company or if it was just a one-time strike.
Irresponsibility or Unfair Rules?
The viral post triggered a wave of reactions. Some users argued that employees should simply take leave when travel is unavoidable. One comment read: “Just take a leave if you absolutely need to travel, it’s not that hard.” Others, however, questioned the rigidity of workplace policies. One Redditor sarcastically compared the situation to authoritarian regimes, writing: “Wah, job hai ya living in North Korea.” Some highlighted legitimate security risks, noting that working from public places like trains could compromise sensitive data. Another user pointed out that VPNs often reduce internet speed drastically, which explains the high broadband requirements.
While the employee’s choice to work from a train drew criticism, many online sympathizers said the real issue lay in how inflexible managers can be when denying short leaves.
