A laid-off employee’s request to work from home during his notice period has triggered a wider conversation on workplace flexibility and exit culture after his HR team turned it down.
The incident came to light after the employee shared his experience on Reddit, stating that he had been laid off but was asked to continue serving his notice period. He said his primary responsibility during this time was Knowledge Transfer (KT) — training other developers to take over his work.
According to the post, HR asked him to start reporting to the office, claiming it would make the handover process smoother. The employee, however, questioned the necessity of daily travel, pointing out that the entire training was happening online via Google Meet and did not require in-person presence.
The post has since gone viral, with many users empathising with his situation. The author noted that being laid off is already stressful, and being asked to commute during the final days only added to the frustration.
On social media, reactions were largely supportive of the employee. Several users criticised rigid return-to-office mandates, while others suggested trying to negotiate further or proposing a hybrid arrangement for the remaining days.
The episode has once again highlighted the gap between managerial expectations around handovers and the practical realities faced by employees navigating a layoff.
