The Rainy Season Dilemma: What Employees Really Want vs What HR Should Do

The rainy season in Nigeria is more than just showers. It’s flooded roads, unpredictable traffic, sky-high transport fares, and the daily struggle of showing up to work drenched and tired. Employees are not keeping quiet about it anymore. They are saying it outright: “Can we just work from home?”

This blog explores why the rainy season makes a strong case for flexible work in Nigeria, what employees are asking for, and how HR managers can strike a balance between empathy and business needs.

Why Rainy Season Commutes Are Breaking Employees

The push for work from home during the rainy season in Nigeria is not about laziness. It’s about the challenges employees face daily, challenges that directly affect productivity and morale.

1. Flooded Roads & Traffic Chaos

When it rains in Nigerian cities, it pours and with it come flooded roads, broken-down vehicles, and gridlocked traffic. Lagos is the poster child for this, but Abuja, Port Harcourt, and other major cities also suffer the same fate. For many employees, leaving home at 6:30am doesn’t guarantee arriving at work by 9:00am. By the time they make it in, they are drained, irritable, and in no mental state to deliver their best work.

This is not just an inconvenience; it’s a productivity drain. A two-hour commute that stretches into four hours each way means employees are spending nearly half their day in traffic. Instead of adding value to the business, they are stuck in traffic that could have been avoided if remote work was an option.

2. Skyrocketing Transport Fares

Transport fares during the rainy season in Nigeria are another major frustration. Transport operators are quick to adjust fares based on the weather. The price of fares now suddenly shoots up to twice or thrice the usual price once the clouds open up. For employees, this is financially draining.

Consider an employee who spends ₦1,200 daily on transportation during normal conditions. Once the rains start, that cost could rise to ₦2,000 or more. Over the course of a month, that’s an extra ₦16,000 to ₦20,000 spent simply on getting to work. For many households, that money could have gone into groceries, school fees, or healthcare. Instead, it disappears into inflated transport fares.

This creates resentment, and it’s easy to see why. Employees are spending more money just to show up, and often for work they could have completed efficiently from home. HR leaders who ignore this reality risk higher disengagement and even turnover.

3. Health Risks

Rainy season commutes also pose a significant health risk. Employees arrive at work soaked, shivering, and at higher risk of developing colds, flu, or other illnesses. Beyond personal discomfort, this creates a ripple effect: sickness spreads across the office, absenteeism increases, and healthcare costs rise.

What Employees Are Asking For

At the heart of these pleas is not a desire to avoid work but a call for better working conditions. Employees are asking for three key things:

1. Flexibility

Employees want the freedom to adapt their work to the realities of the season. If the commute is unbearable, they want the option to work from home and still deliver results. For knowledge-based roles, this is not only possible but often more productive. Giving employees control over how they work is one of the strongest motivators for loyalty and engagement.

2. Health & Safety

No one wants to risk their well-being just to clock in. Employees are saying: “Don’t put me in a position where I have to choose between my health and my job.” Recognizing this helps HR design policies that protect people first, which in turn benefits the company.

3. Financial Relief

It’s hard to stay motivated when transport costs eat into salaries. Employees want to feel that their earnings are being used to support their families, not eaten up by inflated fares. A work-from-home policy, even if partial, relieves this financial pressure and communicates that the company understands their struggles.

What HR Leaders Need to Balance

HR plays a critical role here. Flexibility cannot mean a free-for-all; it must be structured in a way that supports employees and safeguards business goals.

1. Business Continuity

The first question for HR is simple: can the company still function if some employees work from home? For knowledge workers, developers, designers, marketers, analysts, the answer is usually yes. For roles that require physical presence, customer service reps, security, or factory staff, adjustments may be trickier. HR needs to map which roles can work remotely and which can’t, then design policies around that.

2. Fairness Across Roles

Flexibility must feel fair. If one group is allowed to stay home while another is forced to commute daily, resentment will grow. HR can bridge this gap by offering other forms of support to on-site staff, transport stipends, shorter shifts, or flexible start times. Fairness doesn’t mean identical policies; it means policies that take everyone’s situation into account.

3. Engagement & Morale

The rainy season and holiday chaos can drain energy fast. Remote work might solve commuting issues, but HR must also ensure employees remain engaged. Virtual check-ins, online team activities, or even simple rainy-season contests (like “best rainy day work setup”) keep morale high and prevent isolation.

Practical Responses HR Can Explore

Here are some concrete ways HR can address rainy season challenges without compromising operations:

1. Trial Hybrid Days

Instead of going fully remote, HR can introduce hybrid models during peak rainy weeks. For example, employees may work from home two days a week and come onsite the rest of the time. This gives relief without disrupting business entirely. Over time, hybrid days can be evaluated and adjusted based on productivity levels.

2. Focus on Deliverables

The most effective way to manage remote work is to focus on results, not presence. HR should work with managers to set clear goals and measurable outcomes. If an employee can deliver on their targets from home, then commuting in rainstorms becomes unnecessary. This also builds trust between management and employees, reinforcing the idea that performance matters more than physical presence.

3. Alternative Support for On-Site Roles

For employees who must be physically present, HR can ease the burden with thoughtful interventions. Transport stipends help cushion the effect of fare hikes. Shorter workdays or staggered hours reduce exposure to peak traffic. Even small changes like allowing a later start time after a heavy downpour can go a long way in boosting morale.

4. Transparent Communication

Clarity prevents chaos. Instead of handling dozens of last-minute requests, HR should roll out a clear rainy-season policy. This policy should define when WFH is allowed, who qualifies, and how performance will be measured. When employees know the rules upfront, they are less likely to feel anxious or shortchanged.

Why Flexibility Matters in the Long Run

While this blog focuses on the rainy season, the lessons apply year-round. Flexibility is fast becoming a non-negotiable feature of modern workplaces.

1. Employee Experience Builds Loyalty

Companies that show empathy earn loyalty. A thoughtful rainy-season policy signals to employees that their well-being matters. Employees who feel cared for are less likely to leave and more likely to go the extra mile.

2. Health & Cost Savings

Every sick day avoided is money saved. Work from home policies during peak illness periods protect employees and reduce HMO expenses.

3. Future-Proofing HR Practices

The world of work is changing. Companies that embrace flexibility now will find it easier to adapt to future challenges. In a competitive labor market, flexibility becomes a powerful employer branding tool.