When someone takes a day off, it’s usually to catch up on chores, attend a family event, see a doctor, or show up for their child’s school function - anything but office work. Unless, of course, you have that overzealous boss who insists on calling or texting even when you’re on leave.

But increasingly, many Indian employees are taking time off just to voluntarily finish their office tasks. Think of it as Work-From-Leave, where the main purpose of taking a day off is to catch up on pending office work. And no, your boss probably has no idea that’s the real reason.

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An influencer recently posted a video on Instagram asking if he was the only one doing it. The flood of comments, shares, and reposts on his now-viral Reel clearly suggested that work-from-leave is a rather common phenomenon among Indian employees.

“Taking leave to avoid unnecessary meetings and pings, and focus on what’s already on your plate,” one user commented. “I thought I was the only one doing it - such a relief to find people in the same boat,” another wrote.

“EY diaries - I used to take leave so I could work in peace and not get disturbed by my manager or clients,” recalled one user about his stint at a multinational firm.

Another added, “Yeah, because sometimes we just want to finish some pending work that requires deep focus and no interruption