I won’t be working 5 or 4 days in the office. PERIOD: This ‘Gen Z’ woman’s argument questions conventional work culture

A 25-year-old Indian woman, Taruna Vinaykiya, has refused to work from office four to five days a week, her post on LinkedIn said. “why I should happily spend a chunk of my already-taxed-to-death salary on the world’s most expensive transport system just to sit in an office and dial into online calls?” she said in her post.

“I’m 25, in a so-called “good” career, living in London, and still clawing my way out of my bills every month. I’ll probably never own a home. Climbing the corporate ladder? Not exactly a dream when the jobs at the top are held by people who won’t budge until they retire. And for what? Working harder for marginally better pay that still won’t keep up with the cost of living?” her post said.

‘Expensive transport’

“So, remind me again why I should happily spend a chunk of my already-taxed-to-death salary on the world’s most expensive transport system just to sit in an office and dial into online calls? Early Millennials, Gen X and boomers at some point in their careers got free lunches, reimbursed travel, travelling to new places for work, bonuses, stock options and actual face-to-face meetings with clients over coffee. Now? A slice of lukewarm pizza and a beer after work if you’re lucky,” she further wrote.

London has the most expensive commute in the United Kingdom, with train costs nearly double the UK average, due to high public transport fares and parking costs.

Prioritising health

While highlighting the stagnant salaries, and being told to “show up more”, Vinaykiya also wrote about prioritising health and flexibility.

“We’re expected to survive on salaries from 5 to 10 years ago while paying 5 to 10 times the cost of living. Meanwhile, the older generations have their houses, savings, and vacations—yet we’re the ones being told we need to “show up” more. We do show up, just in ways that actually make sense. We prioritise flexibility, our health, and, frankly, not draining a third if not more of our income just to be physically present at a desk.

Luckily, I pivoted into freelancing, and while it’s still early days, it’s the first time I’ve felt like I have real control over my work. Maybe that’s the future, not chasing promotions in a system that doesn’t work for us, but building careers on our own terms,” she wrote.

“Call it entitled, spoiled Gen-Z behavior or “Gen-Lay-Z”- doesn’t matter,” she added nonchalantly. Her bio on LinkedIn says she is a freelance global influencer strategy manager and consultant and currently working at the LEGO Group.

Reactions to her post

Vinaykiya’s post has gone viral with more than 6,000 reactions and dozens of comments agreeing with her.

“At 50 years old I couldn’t agree more with everything you’ve said, whatever your age group we are being robbed daily. I have a house, just had a 15% council tax increase and my mortgage doubled when my fixed rate ended, my train ticket is now £108 a day, with 3 days a week in the office being pushed for, to sit with no one with my headphones in…” one user replied.

“I’m 100% with this, the ridiculous ‘9 to 5 in the office with up to 2 hours commute each way’ should never have even become a thing, it is certainly outdated in today’s climate. If I went into a permanent role again, 3 days MAX in the office would be my limit, unless I lived extremely close to the office itself. I’ve wasted far too many hours in traffic and stuck on trains,” another post read.