Bengaluru traffic leaves office workers drained before work begins

Bengaluru: Bengaluru’s worsening traffic congestion is affecting more than commuting time, with an entrepreneur claiming that long and exhausting journeys are leaving employees too drained to perform at their best.

In a now-viral LinkedIn post, Bala Panneerselvam, founder of Applied AI Studio and the Applied AI Club community, shared a picture of his office at 10.15 am, showing several empty workstations.

Traffic delays keep employees from reaching on time

Panneerselvam said the problem was not employees themselves but the effort required to reach the workplace during Bengaluru’s busy hours.

He said a four-km journey around HSR Layout can take about 20 minutes on a scooter and around 30 minutes by car, with peak-hour traffic adding another 10 minutes.

According to him, navigating congested roads, potholes and unpredictable traffic movements leaves commuters exhausted even before they begin their working day.

Long commute affects life beyond office

Panneerselvam also highlighted the impact of evening traffic. He said employees leaving after 6 pm can take twice as long to reach home, while even those leaving around 5 pm may arrive too tired to spend meaningful time on their personal lives.

He recalled travelling 17 km from Whitefield to HSR Layout at around 4 pm and said the journey took two hours despite it being outside peak hours and there being no rain or other major disruption.

Commuting becomes a productivity concern

Panneerselvam argued that the consequences extend beyond late arrivals, as prolonged commuting can affect concentration, energy and the ability to think creatively.

The post attracted widespread reactions online, with users sharing similar experiences of spending between 1.5 and two hours commuting each day. Some also highlighted potholes, poor road conditions and the physical exhaustion caused by daily travel.

The discussion has renewed attention on Bengaluru’s traffic problem and its wider impact on productivity, work-life balance and the quality of life of those who depend on the city’s roads every day.