"No Work From Home": Woman Tells Why She Had To Reject Her Dream Job

In a world that's slowly embracing flexible work, a LinkedIn post by Mehak Bangla has struck a deep chord with thousands online. Sharing her personal story, Ms Bangla revealed that she had to turn down what she called the "job of her dreams", all because the company did not offer a work-from-home or hybrid working option.

In her emotional post, Ms Bangla listed everything that made the role perfect: a good salary, a great role, positive company reviews, and abundant learning opportunities. But one non-negotiable need outweighed them all - the ability to work from home.

A mother to a 2.5-year-old daughter, Ms Bangla wrote, "The 'mother' in me is not ready to leave her home alone, with a nanny." She pointed out that daycare facilities typically operate only until 6 PM, and the new job would require her to be away for at least 11 hours a day, factoring in office hours and travel time.

"If I had a work-from-home or hybrid option, I could have arranged for a nanny or found a solution where my husband worked from home when I needed to be at the office," she explained.

Her post touched on the larger issue of corporate inflexibility. "Is it too much for an employee to ask?" she asked, adding, "It feels like today, one can either 'work' or raise a child at home - there's no grey area in the corporate world."

Since being shared, her post has gone viral, sparking a wave of discussion on work-life balance, gender roles, and how companies need to rethink rigid work policies in a post-pandemic world. Many users praised her courage for prioritising her family, while others called on companies to be more inclusive of working parents' needs.

A user wrote, "I fail to understand why seeing our faces daily somehow proves that we are more productive!!! Trust deficit in management is something that should be treated medically at this point."

Another user commented, "Companies need to trust their employees and offer flexible options like work-from-home or hybrid work setups. How hard is it to understand that an employee isn't just a worker; she might be a mother, he might be a father, sometimes a son, sometimes a daughter.
It's not difficult to provide this flexibility, as long as the work gets done and performance isn't compromised."

"I also have same story, I had to quit my job to raise my daughter, I got interviewed at many places for new role got offers as well but then also no luck in joining. My 10 years of hardwork and struggle seems of no use , I am happy for my daughter but the passionate girl within me cries every single day. Only I can understand what I lost," the third user shared her story.