Facts checked 29 September 2026 for the CAT 2026 cycle
WAT Topic: "Return to office or work from home: what should be the default?" - social category, easy difficulty. Consider 2 perspectives for a balanced essay.
Reference the return-to-office push and the May 2026 calls for work from home to save fuel after oil prices rose. State: hybrid is the lasting change.
Para 1: What WFH proved works
Para 2: What suffers remotely
Para 3: Hybrid as the sustainable model
Pure WFH won't dominate, but work will not return fully to the pre-pandemic model. Hybrid is the likely default.
Gallup, May 2026: among US employees with remote-capable jobs, 52% work hybrid, 26% exclusively remote and 22% on-site
Robert Half: 87% of job postings it analysed in Q2 2026 were fully on-site (US postings)
In May 2026 an IT employees' union (NITES) asked the Labour Ministry for a work-from-home advisory as oil prices rose (The Hindu, 11 May 2026)
Ignoring job types that can't be remote
Not acknowledging collaboration challenges
Not mentioning recent RTO mandates by major companies
Show you're following the RTO vs WFH debate. Mention specific company examples.
Rhetoric (4th Century BC)
Insight: Persuasion requires ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) working together.
How to apply: Structure your WAT with logical arguments (logos), establish credibility through data/examples (ethos), and connect to human impact (pathos). IIM evaluators look for all three.
Made to Stick (2007)
Insight: Ideas that stick are Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and tell Stories (SUCCESs).
How to apply: Open with an unexpected fact or angle. Use concrete examples, not abstractions. Ground arguments in credible data. Make it memorable.
The Sense of Style (2014)
Insight: Good writing is about showing the reader something in the world, not performing your knowledge.
How to apply: Don't write to impress—write to illuminate. Avoid jargon and pompous language. Show you understand the issue, don't just list points.
Politics and the English Language (1946)
Insight: Clear thinking leads to clear writing. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
How to apply: Prefer active voice. Cut unnecessary words. If you can cut a word, cut it. Clarity beats complexity in 200-word essays.
Values original thinking and nuanced positions over conventional wisdom.
Tip: IIMA loves contrarian but well-reasoned takes. Don't be afraid to challenge the premise of the topic itself.
Practical, business-oriented evaluation. Values structured thinking.
Tip: IIMB appreciates when you connect topics to business/management implications. Always include "so what" for managers.
Rigorous analytical approach. Values data and economic reasoning.
Tip: IIMC loves numbers. Include at least one relevant statistic. Show you understand economic trade-offs.
Balanced evaluation of content and expression.
Tip: IIML values clear structure. Use explicit transitions and signposting.
Ethics-focused, values human-centric perspectives.
Tip: XLRI's Jesuit heritage means they value ethical dimensions. Always consider the human/social impact angle.
There's no "right" stance. What matters is taking a clear position and defending it well. Show you're following the RTO vs WFH debate. Mention specific company examples.
Nobody outside the institute can say. IIMs set the essay topic on the day. This topic is tied to an issue that was current in September 2026, and the statistics on this page carry their source and date, so use it for practice.
Reference the return-to-office push and the May 2026 calls for work from home to save fuel after oil prices rose. State: hybrid is the lasting change. Your body should cover: Para 1: What WFH proved works; Para 2: What suffers remotely; Para 3: Hybrid as the sustainable model.
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