India, Oct. 21 -- Remember the 2020 'fake commute'? In a December 2020 report, Business Insider called it the ultimate work-from-home (WFH) self-care hack. Overworked employees were deliberately faking their commute to save their sanity - a long walk in the morning, a slow drive, a park stroll to clock out mentally. Also read: How losing a job impacts one's mental health

That version is out. The 2026 version is completely different. According to an October 20 report by Reuters, unemployed young professionals in China are now doing a fake commute every day - not to protect their mental health or work-life balance, but to hide the fact that they have no job at all.

They reportedly leave at 9 am and come home at 6 pm, like clockwork. Only ...