At a time when Delhi’s pollution is swallowing the city in a thick, unrelenting haze, one office worker’s story has struck a chord with thousands who are trying to work through burning eyes and pounding headaches. As the AQI climbed into the “very poor” and even “severe” zones this week, she found herself battling a severe headache for two straight days, still dragging herself to office, staying back late and pushing through assignments, only to be denied a single day of Work From Home when she finally asked for relief. Her experience has now fuelled a wider conversation on how workplaces are responding to the health realities of Delhi’s toxic winter air.
Worker says she reported to office despite severe headache
A 25-year-old employee in Delhi shared that she has been dealing with a severe headache for the past two days, likely due to the ongoing pollution crisis. Despite this, she continued reporting to office and even stayed back till 8:45 pm “purely due to project commitments,” all while managing her health.
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She said she finally asked for WFH for just a day, not leave, so she could work without worsening her condition. But her senior responded that “everyone is suffering from pollution” and allowing WFH is “difficult to allow” since others are coming in.
‘Take a day off and still work’, she claims senior suggested
The worker said that employees had been requesting air purifiers for more than a week, but the management did not approve them. She added that when pollution began affecting their ability to work, the team was instead told: “take a day off and still work”, a suggestion she called absurd.