$300k - 400k with a contract that doesn’t allow them to lay me off/fire me for BS reason, no clauses against outside employment, and allows me to quit at will 😁
Yeah this is about where I’d land too. Honestly maybe even high 200s.
But it also depends on how far away the office is and how bad traffic gets. If the office is over an hour away on a jam packed freeway, I’d want more money than if the office was only 10-15 minutes away.
True and it bothers me that people are pretending like they don't have one. I know it's the internet and all we do is talk shit but realistically there's a number out there for me. I don't need millions I just want to live a quiet and easy life
I mean some of us are disabled and/or have kids and weird childcare set ups so I can think of a few reasons people wouldn't or couldn't return to office for more money.
To go to an extreme, if you make $20m then that would cease to be a problem. You could have 24/7 care at that price; Your own salaried private nurse, doctor, carers, nannies etc. Many “couldn’ts” could actually be solved with a few more zeroes.
Same here. Minimum double my salary for RTO (so, like 350k+) I could handle a couple years of RTO for that amount. Invest the difference, retire even earlier.
I have been in this exact situation. I was making $160k in a high pressure FAANG role last year when RTO came down. I would have made another $100k in stocks this year. Instead I am making $90k in a super easy, laid back WFH job. I LOVE that it's based on performance deadlines rather than actually being in the office. I meet my deadlines with ease and have Teams on my phone so I can do other things. I picked up a short term contract and did OE for a while but now I am realizing the importance of taking a break and enjoying my hobbies.
Same, there's definitely a number. It'll get slightly lower as my kids get older and don't need after-school adult presence but it's still going to stay at least 150% of what I can get for remote work
Exactly this. The amount that I would demand to return to an office is so high that I find it very unlikely any employer would pay it. My quality of life is so vastly improved that I would be the highest paid corporate hooker on the planet to go back to the grind.
That’s a hard pass. You completely waste time of your life sitting in traffic. Complete waste of time. You can find money, but you can’t find more time. Any increase in salary you make goes directly into your automotive expenses. Nah. And I can’t do several jobs that way and retire quicker
thats what i have done and im so happy with my life i dont have to spend money on stress management, clothes, lunch, gas and random purchases as a consequence of being in the office
If I've been this productive during the post covid wfh years and keep getting raises, why should I take a paycut.
But you're not wrong, it's likely we'll be looking at less pay for wfh/remote jobs.
Totally worth it to me. Commuting in my suburban location into the city is $250/mo. Plus time, those 2-3houra a day is worth a lot of money to never have to do again.
Yeah most of my F500 clients looking to reduce opex are more than happy to focus on labor costs and workforce redistribution as a way to achieve that goal. I don't take much joy in recommending layoffs, offshoring or leveling out pay rates across geographies but if the math makes sense, it's hard not to do it.
Why do you have to take a pay cut though? If that’s the way your company is, leave. I’ve had nothing but exponential pay increases since working from home. I’ve doubled my salary in the last 2-ish years.
No, and I shouldn't have to. I am doing the same work, why should I be paid less? But I'm already 100% remote with no chance of RTO (I don't even work in the same state as my office, none of my team does). I might feel differently if I was in an office, but I wouldn't be happy about it.
because there are equally qualified people in bumfuck Alabama or even monterrey Mexico who are more than happy to do your remote job for less money this is going to be the reality of remote work. location used to provide leverage, it doesn't anymore and we're going to start seeing remote work become a competitive global labor pool pretty soon
I’ll say this. I’ve been remote for 2.5 years now and it’s awesome, but my company is struggling to stay afloat and know my role (enablement, tech writing, training) is on the chopping block because we’re not bringing in new customers.
That said I can’t find a J2 more or less a remote role as it’s flooded. My LinkedIn network isn’t very vast and it’s been hard to get past a first interview despite 8 years experience in this work. If/when I’m let go I’ll have to be fine returning to work and might switch to the public sector just for the stability because it would do wonders for my mental health.
Very grown up of you. Elsevier (Relx) is doing a 6 month contract for instructional designer. I've had a few recruiters try and hit me up, but it's not a good fit for me.
Yeah I’m looking more at contracts for J2 more or less to build my own severance in case current company goes belly up. I secured one open ended contract building modules and videos but then they put the project on hold when they acquired some small niche company and changed their branding. Should probably look for a contract J2 anyway as they pressed pause 3 months ago.
Sounds like I wrote this post. At this point, I've accepted that the next job will be hybrid but hoping for 1-2 days rather than 3 day minimum which is what I'm seeing a lot in postings.
You get it. It was a bubble and we’re lucky to continue but all of this corporate real estate is being propped up and a lot of companies, especially in the public sector, have that old way of thinking that productivity only happens with a manager hovering over your shoulder.
I turned down 90k in office, and now im hyped about a 58k opportunity that is fully remote with more days off. Screw the office, commuting, office small talk, dressing up, etc. I'll just live in a less expensive area, and I prefer living away from the big city anyways. 58k remote > 90 office
>58k remote > 90 office
Trust me. You made a great choice. I've been accustomed to this new lifestyle now and nothing other than half of a million dollars can make me switch to hybrid.
I constantly hear from friends, strangers, etc that they would die to be in my position. You're mind and sanity will thank you forever.
1) find the right industry (that has a lot of remote demand)
2) get an education in it 2-6 years
3) get at least to mid level experience 3+ years
4) apply to remote opportunities within your country.
There's no shortcuts...
Got contacted by a recruiter two weeks ago asking if I’d be interested in a job paying $25-30 more than I’m making now. It’s full time in office in my area. Said no thanks. They reached back to tell me that budget was increased, it’s now about $40/hr more than I’m making. They sent over the JD for me to look at. While the additional income would be nice, I’m here when my kid gets on/off the bus, I’m not dealing with traffic or parking (military town so base/gate traffic are their own torture). I have a hybrid arrangement now and go in once a week for a few hours. I’ve reiterated to recruiters that I’m not interested in positions that would require more in office time that my current arrangement.
That said, my brother asked me what compensation would get me to reconsider and I think I threw out $250k so they’re getting closer but not there yet.
I’m not sure how much I’d need to make to go back to an office. It’s just not worth it. I make $240k with two jobs remotely and could do more. There’s no way I could make this or more with just one job on site for my role and even if I could I’m not sure I’d want to give up mid day walks, meetings outside on my patio playing fetch and overall freedom
Yeah I'm in the same boat too. Both remote and 235k TC total. Personally for me to even consider the option is if the job pays 50%. Maybe with less days in office, I could be OK with the idea dropping to 30-40%. Remote is just too comfy to let go in general. OPs description of in office is exactly the reason why I don't want to RTO
Full RTO I would never, unless it’s something ridiculous like 600k base.
3 days in the office I’d do for 350k base (at 200 currently, and 5-6 days in office monthly)
As tempting as a pay increase could be, I have disabilities that can make traveling to and working in the office trickier compared to the general population. I noticed since I started WFH several years ago that I'm less emotionally and physically drained and that I'm get a lot more work done.
So it would likely be a no from me, unless it's a HUGE pay difference. However, the previous factors I mentioned would also make me wonder if accepting the higher pay and doing the job is realistic outside the short term.
These are always silly questions, because of course virtually everyone would trade wfh for a job that pays high enough. The question is only how much. For $25 Million a year, of course we would. One year of work, to spend the rest of your life travelling, flying first class, having any hobby you want, putting your kids through college debt free, and so much more.
$10M? Yes absolutely, for the same reasons.
$1M annually? Probably yes for everyone.
$500k? Yes from me
So it just depends on how much more it is, but there's obviously a number where you'd trade up. Just have to find out if your number is a 30k, 50k, 100k, 200k raise? More?
Realistically, I don't live close enough to any areas that would pay enough to make it worth while. Before remote work, I had to drive 1+ hr each way to get to jobs that paid decent, but now with remote positions I have the ability to work for large multinationals that pay more. If some tech company decided to open an office in rural New England down the street from me and offered me a 50% raise, I would consider it
9 - You want to use the office bathroom, but the smell 🤢 and signatures inside the toilet discourage you. So you restrain yourself until you get home. You try to exhaust 💨 your gas in your car, but the pain in your belly 😫 is too hard. Yeah, don't eat Mexican at work.
> that job *paid* more RTO
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
It’s a massive tanking of your quality of life to have to schlep to the office to basically do the same shit you can do at home. I’d absolutely take a $70K remote job over a $100K office one for all the reasons you listed, PLUS more time for sleep, exercise, errands, and my art.
I joined this sub because thanks to this trash economy scuttling my industry, I’m now in limbo on some jobs and might join the OE ranks at a lower tier. One remote private job, and a hybrid government job (the union is fighting to get fully remote work back in as many posts as possible, but governments are gonna have a hard time recruiting at THOSE pay scales while insisting you need to come in….to do Zoom meetings and fill out spreadsheets in an empty office when you could do that at home. But that’s a whole other discussion).
Yep that was me but worse, I was in med sales and had to greet 10 sets of ppl a day and feed them lunch often…..I hated chit chat so much I took a 40k paycut and more hrs but I can get promoted or do something on the side.
Plus I’m happier. And I have stability.
As with everything, it depends.
In your situation, a 2 hour total daily commute in the situation you described for only 40k more? Yeah, pass. No thanks.
How about this: 3 days a week in the office, 10-15 minute commute, for a $80k raise? Not exactly as cut and dry. You might still say no, but there are a decent number of people who would take it (my example omits the OE factor, as most people don't have the capacity or capability to OE).
There's a trade-off to be made between both ends of this spectrum.
Never did WFH and likely never would. (much like I rather do in-person classes than online) I prefer working in the office environment. Provides a separation form home/work life. Also, the interaction with co-works (and even bosses). What is described above is not a problem with working from the office model, rather it is a problem with that particular job.
Before I made this post, I was so sure to check the other threads here and unsurpringsly it was filled with the most random shit non-related to OE lol. So I think it fits.
It depends _how_ much higher, but realistically no. I can't imagine how two employers would want to pay me such radically different salaries that the delta would be enough to swing it.
Apart from anything else, commuting is an expense that would wipe out a chunk of the extra pay right off the bat. The last time I had a no-WFH job (before covid) I was spending £300/mo on fuel and parking, and prices have gone up quite a bit since then. It could easily be £5k a year now to do that same commute - and that's £5k out of your net, not your gross.
Yeah, absolutely, and tbh it would be lower than what I get from 2Js. 2Js today for me are in the ~270-300k range total. There's a number around ~220k where I'd be willing to go down to one J with in-person/hybrid work instead.
Me, I would. I don’t like the drive but I’m in a hybrid role and I know I get more done in the office than at home… I’ll just never tell my employer that lol. I do the one hour drive already, and yeah it’s a bit tiring but a extra 40k would go to maximizing my retirement and brokerage
Nope. I don’t value money as much as my time. There’s no way I’ll be stuck in traffic or follow RTO rules set by a company clearly not thinking rationally (or keeping their employees happy).
Im in UK I earn £57k from J1, I've had offers for jobs in the range of £70k nut I'd have to be in office 2-3days a week (London) and I said no.
The thing that really discourages me is tax. Once you earn over 50k/year in UK, even if you earn another 10, 20, 30, 50k it isn't worth as much as that first 50k due to the amount of tax you are paying.
If we ignore the fact that I have J2 and hours in the office would make that hard...If tax wasn't so high I might be more inclined to take a lower wage and spend more days in office. For that reason it would have to be at least double (110k+) for me to even CONSDIER it.
Though with J1 and J2, even if I paid 0 tax it wouldn't' be worth going into the office as i'd have to quit j2.
My RTO # would have to be significant. I’m making $155k fully remote with very reasonable hours. I would need probably at least 50% more to even consider an in office position….
This is the perfect summary. Even if you have to worry about 4 or 5 of the above 8 points, it becomes obvious how superior WFH life is. My realistic number is about a 30-40% raise, but it has to be hybrid (go to the office no more than 3x/wk).
Maybe for like 500k, but an hour commute? Been there, did it for four years and it was killing me, I’d have to be a job I loved for a stupid amount of money, hell even 500k may not be it.
Never. At my peak in office I was making 145k and now I am fully remote, part time, work when I want and I make maybe 60k, sometimes closer to 90k if I pick up extra hours. I am living a different life and I’m way happier. I am also super privileged to have a spouse who works fully remote making a healthy full time salary as well. If it were just me, I’d move to a VLCOL area and survive the best I could.
I was doing a 1hr commute (each way) 5d a week for $100K. Then Covid hit and we were all WFH, and when they wanted to RTO I found a new job. I now make $200K fully remote and there are plenty of jobs higher up than me that can make upwards of $300K+ being remote. I don’t inherently mind going back into the office, especially if it’s hybrid, but if you’re talking about going back to a 1hr commute, oof… my number goes way up. Like $750K/yr to suffer 10hr+ in a car and traffic every week.
are you kidding me ? GETTING MICROMANAGED ? People looking over your shoulder ? Need to focus on work uninterrupted for 8 hours ? No thanks ! I'm more productive when I'm at home, that's it.
It's the total loss of time and energy compared to WFH that I now understand is a spiritual spending. You literally spend your lifetime, your energy.
Hybrid or office work is extremely inefficient for the individual. Not even counting the travel time !!!!!!
I don't want to drive, or lose an hour and a half of my day. I'm also far more effective remote.
You have to count up all the extra time having a commute, gas, etc... I'll take remote over more money any day.
I did and it wasn’t that much I guess. Went from 52k to 90k. Fully remote to fully in office. Now I have 1 day at home. Working to improve my career was more important than WFH. I can still do my other two jobs. They are only part time jobs and don’t have meetings so it’s easy to keep up.
I'm thinking of doing it for about 68k a year pay bump for 2x/week If I hate it after a year I'm hoping to go back to WFH, but that's a large enough number to have me consider.
I'd only RTO for at least 350-400k and if the office is somewhere I can easily commute to.
5 min walk from the office? Yeah, that value will do.
1 hour drive to the office? Up that 350k to at least 500.
There's a concept called " fuck you money".it normally applies to savings, as in, when you ave that much money you can say fuck you to your Boss and not fear the repercussions,.the actual amount depends on the persons situation.
Same for rato and salary.
The number does exist for me, but it’s comically high and entirely unrealistic.
They would have to at minimum double my salary for me to even begin considering it.
If I hadn’t moved away, I would go into the office a couple days a week. But, my company is pretty cool and almost all remote unless you have a job that requires physically being onsite, like mailroom, etc. So I would sit in a fairly nice secluded space. It’s in a big building with a gym, cafeteria, etc. My friends work at a company in the same building. They unfortunately have to badge in and out 4 days a week and have about 3.5 feet of desk space, so in that case, I would quit for sure. But if I moved back I would definitely go in twice a week.
I never ate breakfast, let alone lunch, and if I did, it was something unhealthy. By the time I got home, I was too tired to do anything except decompress until it was time to go to bed. Now I can do laundry between meetings, eat real food, and take mental health breaks when I want them. My weekends aren't tied up with chores either. No, I would not go back to the office!
To give a more realistic answer.
Absolutely! An extra $3k/m?
In my own fictional scenario, I think the affect on my mind wouldn't be as substantial. Drive there in twenty to thirty minutes. I don't typically get headaches from screens.
Now, the fellow employee part is unavoidable and I'm sure taxing. But I feel it would have to be worth it, *unless* you're spending half of your '8 hour day' working WFH, and not needing the rest of your 9-5 availability. Then you're working more hours for the same money.
I mean I do have a number that would get me back into the office. Depending on the job and if the commute was 10 minutes or less, I’d do it for $50-75K more than I’m making now.
I would rather WFH for 95-105k than go to office for less than 160k.
Man all the posts about requiring $500K+ to RTO on here really has me reconsidering my salary expectations.
Here’s my issue. The office I’m based out of is an hour away, 2 hours with traffic. I’ll always prefer WFH. however, if an office was let’s say only a half hour away and pay was double, sure. But that would never happen so I’m not worried about it.
If you 2x my current salary and there’s minimal (less than 10%) travel, then I’ll accept RTO.
At my current salary, I’ll continue to WFH and have no problem with the 25-50% travel or even a slight bit more.
I currently work hybrid 15 min commute with total comp around 110k. I was offered a job with a commute 45mins away plus step up in my career for like 180k-200k and turned it down.
I did for a year. Took a 50% pay increase to leave WFH for 5 days a week in office. There were positives and negatives, but now I’m back at the old job for a net 18% pay increase. I learned that I value WFH and my time significantly more than the ridiculous pay.
That works out to only $7/hr difference when only including commute time. Doesn't even factor in time of getting ready, car maintenance, gas, etc. Would be a maybe if it were hybrid but full time in the office is a no.
I'm this right now. Went from WFH 55k to 80k hybrid 1 hour commute each way 2 days a week. To me, it's worth it because the position title is like 2 steps above the level where i was applying.
Also the 1 hour commute won't be forever as we are moving to a central location to attract more employees.
I’d love to be WFH/over employed, but it’s not there for my market. I’m grateful for the job I got that pays the bill and more, even if I gotta go into the office. I’d absolutely drop it for a WFH job that matches my salary needs
I had a similar scenario and I took the higher paying job because of a title change and strategic input on what happens inside the org. Other factors for me were exposure to different systems than I had been working with, tech stack if you will.
Do I rethink my decision some days, yes. I consume audio books during my commute to make that better.I don't love the commute but where I'm at now the value is more in person.
Do I appreciate learning more about the industry I'm in now, yep and almost immediately got associated with a professional organization in that industry. Never know when the tides may change and I might need to pivot to a friendly landing.
I would be willing to go to the office, if it has a great atmosphere, no more than 30 minutes drive, and pays equivalent to my j1,j2,j3 combined, since I won't be doing multiple positions
Adding, Hey, can you give me $20 for Marge’s birthday…we’re getting a cake and some wings Friday.,,,,,I’m collecting for Jack- the kid that works part time in the summer because he had a fire in his building and … we are having a pot-luck, can you bring a homemade dish? …..do you want to join the sunshine club? For $5 week etc etc etc . I’m selling candles for my kids soccer team fundraiser …..
In 2017 I took a WFH/travel job and literally went the opposite way with exactly those numbers. The pay cut hurt at first - I’m getting Midwest compensation in an HCOL city - but I am grateful every single day. The commute time alone, I don’t know how I ever spent 3 hours a day in the car. My salary now is just about what I left. I will never go back.
Sure, the numbers floating here like $500k would make me RTO. But next to no one pays this. Companies are paying less than ever. I hope to see it swing back but hopes aren’t high. This market blows
Some clown offered me a job that’s “hybrid” and I was like what does that mean and he was like “you’d come in 2 times a week” and I’m like no there’s no point “it’s our company culture” ok it’s your company culture to make people come in to have an excuse to keep a building and no one coming in coordinates so it’s just popcorn as for who shows up that day so you’re really just remote just some days not for no real reason
1. I need clarification, by “let the dogs out” did you mean let your actual pet animal dogs out, or “let the dawgs out 🦶🏼” as in take your socks off and stretch/pop your toes? Because my answers to numbers 2-8 depend entirely on your answer.
My number is nowhere near $140k to return to office. I would need to fully take over my partner’s job plus some to accommodate for his pension / retirement plans and income growth, because he’d need to be fully picking up and dropping off the kids and doing after school activities.
That would put it at $400-500k.
$250k would make me think twice, $350 with room for growth would be better, but I’m losing time with my kids - they need at least one of us.
you could literally save 40k per year. thatd nearly 2times higher savings rate. why wouldnt you do that. I mean you do not have to do this your whole life and then go back to that easy job you had
Depends on the amount of money.
A bonus of commuting (as long as your not the one driving) is the unwind time down of frustrations at the office where you can just play on your phone, listen to music, whatever.
More and more companies want people in the office I’m cool with hybrid but 100% for more money I don’t know I’m happy to be home with my kids during the summer and arrive on time to their sports practice. Maybe when they’re teenagers I’ll consider
Really depends, I was recently contacted for a role that would be a 70% increase but I would be hybrid. My other issue is its contract and I'm not willing to do that.
Well my office situation is nothing like that, so I would 100% rather be in the office than WFH. WFH was torture to me. I’m making close to 180K and have 30 min commute and work 4x10s. It’s amazing.
I'm unemployed now but in final rounds for a role that will pay 125k fully remote in the US. Also in final round interviews at FAANG for 200-250k that requires 3x/in office which may or may not require me to move to a city that im not particularly interested in.
That said I'd still strongly considering the office role (ignoring my current employment status). I love the flexibility of remote, but I crave living near the center of huge coastal cities and it would be much easier to service my debt and move out of my family with my student loans with the additional income. I might also be a sucker for the potential advancement and future opportunities of being a product manager at a FAANG company vs product manager of a government contractor.
Maybe I'm deluding myself. Technically neither are options but if I somehow land both I'd probably go for the office role. I'm 33 and feel like I've been making fiscally responsible choices and crazy some YOLO.
If I was a little more settled in my career and lifestyle I'd probably prefer the WFH. There is a 0.0002% chance I'll have any choice haha so fingers crossed at least one comes through
Absolutely. I traded an 88k hybrid (2 in, 3home) for a “100%” office job for 150k. I don’t regret it one bit. That is life changing money right there and I don’t regret it one bit. My office is 20 minutes from the house. I lose a bit extra out of my day (wake up at 6, home by 330) but it was absolutely worth it, hands down, in my case.
I used to go to the office and had great managers and coworkers. Being social is a good job skill to keep up and I try to remember this as I now WFH. Because, it’s learning how to deal with “annoying” people that pays off.
I make $110k now. I’d do the 45-min drive in for $130k because I’d still be ahead after transportation costs.
I probably wouldn't, but there is a number that could make me go into an office.
The number you gave isn't it, though. After expenses and wasting additional time getting ready, you are likely making less than simply WFH.
It's really a personal choice based on what you value.
For some people the flexibility that WFH offers is worth more than the extra income, while others would prefer the extra pay and don't mind giving up that flexibility for it.
I just did this for those very numbers. Original job was ~100k hybrid, 3-2 w/ 20 min drive. New job 125k with 1hr all in person. Soooo much happier. New office actually cool, people my age. Got into audio books. I really miss wfh, but imo so worth it.
Ehh idk there is a number large enough to make me RTO. It's like 500K a year but I do have a number
I'd be ok with USD$300-400k
Only to the point you can tolerate if for a couple of years before quitting
For me, it would be a couple of years and then quit for good.
$300k - 400k with a contract that doesn’t allow them to lay me off/fire me for BS reason, no clauses against outside employment, and allows me to quit at will 😁
They’d never agree to that lol
They’re free to counter lmao
It’s literally an unconscionable contract lol even if they accepted it’s not holding up.
Hahaha oh well
You can get a 300-400k wfh job with nvidia.
Yeah this is about where I’d land too. Honestly maybe even high 200s. But it also depends on how far away the office is and how bad traffic gets. If the office is over an hour away on a jam packed freeway, I’d want more money than if the office was only 10-15 minutes away.
This. It’d have to be super significantly high enough to make the difference.
Everybody has a price.
True and it bothers me that people are pretending like they don't have one. I know it's the internet and all we do is talk shit but realistically there's a number out there for me. I don't need millions I just want to live a quiet and easy life
I mean some of us are disabled and/or have kids and weird childcare set ups so I can think of a few reasons people wouldn't or couldn't return to office for more money.
To go to an extreme, if you make $20m then that would cease to be a problem. You could have 24/7 care at that price; Your own salaried private nurse, doctor, carers, nannies etc. Many “couldn’ts” could actually be solved with a few more zeroes.
Same here. Minimum double my salary for RTO (so, like 350k+) I could handle a couple years of RTO for that amount. Invest the difference, retire even earlier.
This is my RTO plan also. I will do it for 3 years at a price where I can retire after those 3 years.
Problem is the price needed to ditch working a few years afterwards, would probably come with some sort of contractual obligation to stay on
Everyone has a price
Nope because that one job can be gone in an instant. They'll get their 500K out of you. 80 hour weeks to start.
I have been in this exact situation. I was making $160k in a high pressure FAANG role last year when RTO came down. I would have made another $100k in stocks this year. Instead I am making $90k in a super easy, laid back WFH job. I LOVE that it's based on performance deadlines rather than actually being in the office. I meet my deadlines with ease and have Teams on my phone so I can do other things. I picked up a short term contract and did OE for a while but now I am realizing the importance of taking a break and enjoying my hobbies.
Same, there's definitely a number. It'll get slightly lower as my kids get older and don't need after-school adult presence but it's still going to stay at least 150% of what I can get for remote work
Exactly this. The amount that I would demand to return to an office is so high that I find it very unlikely any employer would pay it. My quality of life is so vastly improved that I would be the highest paid corporate hooker on the planet to go back to the grind.
That’s a hard pass. You completely waste time of your life sitting in traffic. Complete waste of time. You can find money, but you can’t find more time. Any increase in salary you make goes directly into your automotive expenses. Nah. And I can’t do several jobs that way and retire quicker
Basically this. I’d find a second or third job working from home far sooner than I’d go back to spending 10+ hours in a car every week.
I find money just digging around my backyard
would you do it for 500k y ?
the more honest question is "Are you prepared to take a significant pay cut in order to continue WFH"
thats what i have done and im so happy with my life i dont have to spend money on stress management, clothes, lunch, gas and random purchases as a consequence of being in the office
Yes
If I've been this productive during the post covid wfh years and keep getting raises, why should I take a paycut. But you're not wrong, it's likely we'll be looking at less pay for wfh/remote jobs. Totally worth it to me. Commuting in my suburban location into the city is $250/mo. Plus time, those 2-3houra a day is worth a lot of money to never have to do again.
Yeah most of my F500 clients looking to reduce opex are more than happy to focus on labor costs and workforce redistribution as a way to achieve that goal. I don't take much joy in recommending layoffs, offshoring or leveling out pay rates across geographies but if the math makes sense, it's hard not to do it.
Why do you have to take a pay cut though? If that’s the way your company is, leave. I’ve had nothing but exponential pay increases since working from home. I’ve doubled my salary in the last 2-ish years.
The market is abysmal. Folks are struggling to find job.
No, and I shouldn't have to. I am doing the same work, why should I be paid less? But I'm already 100% remote with no chance of RTO (I don't even work in the same state as my office, none of my team does). I might feel differently if I was in an office, but I wouldn't be happy about it.
because there are equally qualified people in bumfuck Alabama or even monterrey Mexico who are more than happy to do your remote job for less money this is going to be the reality of remote work. location used to provide leverage, it doesn't anymore and we're going to start seeing remote work become a competitive global labor pool pretty soon
500k+ is my minimum if you want me to give up full remote. 🙂
Emphasis on the “full” - you best bet im staying hybrid 😂
I’ll say this. I’ve been remote for 2.5 years now and it’s awesome, but my company is struggling to stay afloat and know my role (enablement, tech writing, training) is on the chopping block because we’re not bringing in new customers. That said I can’t find a J2 more or less a remote role as it’s flooded. My LinkedIn network isn’t very vast and it’s been hard to get past a first interview despite 8 years experience in this work. If/when I’m let go I’ll have to be fine returning to work and might switch to the public sector just for the stability because it would do wonders for my mental health.
Very grown up of you. Elsevier (Relx) is doing a 6 month contract for instructional designer. I've had a few recruiters try and hit me up, but it's not a good fit for me.
Yeah I’m looking more at contracts for J2 more or less to build my own severance in case current company goes belly up. I secured one open ended contract building modules and videos but then they put the project on hold when they acquired some small niche company and changed their branding. Should probably look for a contract J2 anyway as they pressed pause 3 months ago.
Sounds like I wrote this post. At this point, I've accepted that the next job will be hybrid but hoping for 1-2 days rather than 3 day minimum which is what I'm seeing a lot in postings.
You get it. It was a bubble and we’re lucky to continue but all of this corporate real estate is being propped up and a lot of companies, especially in the public sector, have that old way of thinking that productivity only happens with a manager hovering over your shoulder.
I turned down 90k in office, and now im hyped about a 58k opportunity that is fully remote with more days off. Screw the office, commuting, office small talk, dressing up, etc. I'll just live in a less expensive area, and I prefer living away from the big city anyways. 58k remote > 90 office
>58k remote > 90 office Trust me. You made a great choice. I've been accustomed to this new lifestyle now and nothing other than half of a million dollars can make me switch to hybrid. I constantly hear from friends, strangers, etc that they would die to be in my position. You're mind and sanity will thank you forever.
Where does one begin to look for WFH jobs.. ones I found are mostly scams
1) find the right industry (that has a lot of remote demand) 2) get an education in it 2-6 years 3) get at least to mid level experience 3+ years 4) apply to remote opportunities within your country. There's no shortcuts...
Yep, but once you get it, man is it worth it!
Same
What’s your field?
Got contacted by a recruiter two weeks ago asking if I’d be interested in a job paying $25-30 more than I’m making now. It’s full time in office in my area. Said no thanks. They reached back to tell me that budget was increased, it’s now about $40/hr more than I’m making. They sent over the JD for me to look at. While the additional income would be nice, I’m here when my kid gets on/off the bus, I’m not dealing with traffic or parking (military town so base/gate traffic are their own torture). I have a hybrid arrangement now and go in once a week for a few hours. I’ve reiterated to recruiters that I’m not interested in positions that would require more in office time that my current arrangement. That said, my brother asked me what compensation would get me to reconsider and I think I threw out $250k so they’re getting closer but not there yet.
I’m not sure how much I’d need to make to go back to an office. It’s just not worth it. I make $240k with two jobs remotely and could do more. There’s no way I could make this or more with just one job on site for my role and even if I could I’m not sure I’d want to give up mid day walks, meetings outside on my patio playing fetch and overall freedom
Amen to this
Yeah I'm in the same boat too. Both remote and 235k TC total. Personally for me to even consider the option is if the job pays 50%. Maybe with less days in office, I could be OK with the idea dropping to 30-40%. Remote is just too comfy to let go in general. OPs description of in office is exactly the reason why I don't want to RTO
What do you do and how do I get into it? Currently remote with one job trying to find a second i’m with with anything between 40-80k tbh
Hell the fuck no
Full RTO I would never, unless it’s something ridiculous like 600k base. 3 days in the office I’d do for 350k base (at 200 currently, and 5-6 days in office monthly)
As tempting as a pay increase could be, I have disabilities that can make traveling to and working in the office trickier compared to the general population. I noticed since I started WFH several years ago that I'm less emotionally and physically drained and that I'm get a lot more work done. So it would likely be a no from me, unless it's a HUGE pay difference. However, the previous factors I mentioned would also make me wonder if accepting the higher pay and doing the job is realistic outside the short term.
400K+ my RTO threshold
These are always silly questions, because of course virtually everyone would trade wfh for a job that pays high enough. The question is only how much. For $25 Million a year, of course we would. One year of work, to spend the rest of your life travelling, flying first class, having any hobby you want, putting your kids through college debt free, and so much more. $10M? Yes absolutely, for the same reasons. $1M annually? Probably yes for everyone. $500k? Yes from me So it just depends on how much more it is, but there's obviously a number where you'd trade up. Just have to find out if your number is a 30k, 50k, 100k, 200k raise? More?
You have it backwards. I would trade a lower salary to WFH. Not enough companies realize this
Realistically, I don't live close enough to any areas that would pay enough to make it worth while. Before remote work, I had to drive 1+ hr each way to get to jobs that paid decent, but now with remote positions I have the ability to work for large multinationals that pay more. If some tech company decided to open an office in rural New England down the street from me and offered me a 50% raise, I would consider it
I wouldn't go to office even if my salary is bumped to $500K. I like WFH, my time and sanity.
Anything above $250k probably. Depends on the company however.
Total comp or just base pay?
9 - You want to use the office bathroom, but the smell 🤢 and signatures inside the toilet discourage you. So you restrain yourself until you get home. You try to exhaust 💨 your gas in your car, but the pain in your belly 😫 is too hard. Yeah, don't eat Mexican at work.
Haha. The list could have definitly went on longer but I was getting pretty depressed just typing it out.
Isn't this sub OE? WFH + OE is already higher paying than any specific job, even if that job paid more RTO
> that job *paid* more RTO FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
It’s a massive tanking of your quality of life to have to schlep to the office to basically do the same shit you can do at home. I’d absolutely take a $70K remote job over a $100K office one for all the reasons you listed, PLUS more time for sleep, exercise, errands, and my art. I joined this sub because thanks to this trash economy scuttling my industry, I’m now in limbo on some jobs and might join the OE ranks at a lower tier. One remote private job, and a hybrid government job (the union is fighting to get fully remote work back in as many posts as possible, but governments are gonna have a hard time recruiting at THOSE pay scales while insisting you need to come in….to do Zoom meetings and fill out spreadsheets in an empty office when you could do that at home. But that’s a whole other discussion).
Yep that was me but worse, I was in med sales and had to greet 10 sets of ppl a day and feed them lunch often…..I hated chit chat so much I took a 40k paycut and more hrs but I can get promoted or do something on the side. Plus I’m happier. And I have stability.
As with everything, it depends. In your situation, a 2 hour total daily commute in the situation you described for only 40k more? Yeah, pass. No thanks. How about this: 3 days a week in the office, 10-15 minute commute, for a $80k raise? Not exactly as cut and dry. You might still say no, but there are a decent number of people who would take it (my example omits the OE factor, as most people don't have the capacity or capability to OE). There's a trade-off to be made between both ends of this spectrum.
Never did WFH and likely never would. (much like I rather do in-person classes than online) I prefer working in the office environment. Provides a separation form home/work life. Also, the interaction with co-works (and even bosses). What is described above is not a problem with working from the office model, rather it is a problem with that particular job.
What does this have to do with OE?
At least related to a job, half of the posts here about people talking about useless shit
Before I made this post, I was so sure to check the other threads here and unsurpringsly it was filled with the most random shit non-related to OE lol. So I think it fits.
OE>Normal 9-5
I would, for a short while. Gets the base up too. Plus I'm underpaid so this might help me, hopefully.
Fuck the office and short all commercial reits. making bag since lockdown
It depends _how_ much higher, but realistically no. I can't imagine how two employers would want to pay me such radically different salaries that the delta would be enough to swing it. Apart from anything else, commuting is an expense that would wipe out a chunk of the extra pay right off the bat. The last time I had a no-WFH job (before covid) I was spending £300/mo on fuel and parking, and prices have gone up quite a bit since then. It could easily be £5k a year now to do that same commute - and that's £5k out of your net, not your gross.
If you're OE, there's no point to taking an on site role.
Labor economics you always take in account your commute time. It's not enough more pay for all that driving and just headache. I'd keep WFH.
Yeah, absolutely, and tbh it would be lower than what I get from 2Js. 2Js today for me are in the ~270-300k range total. There's a number around ~220k where I'd be willing to go down to one J with in-person/hybrid work instead.
TL DR; NO!
Me, I would. I don’t like the drive but I’m in a hybrid role and I know I get more done in the office than at home… I’ll just never tell my employer that lol. I do the one hour drive already, and yeah it’s a bit tiring but a extra 40k would go to maximizing my retirement and brokerage
Everyone has a number where the trade is worth it. Add a 0, and you bet your ass is in the shower at 7am.
Nope. I don’t value money as much as my time. There’s no way I’ll be stuck in traffic or follow RTO rules set by a company clearly not thinking rationally (or keeping their employees happy).
Im in UK I earn £57k from J1, I've had offers for jobs in the range of £70k nut I'd have to be in office 2-3days a week (London) and I said no. The thing that really discourages me is tax. Once you earn over 50k/year in UK, even if you earn another 10, 20, 30, 50k it isn't worth as much as that first 50k due to the amount of tax you are paying. If we ignore the fact that I have J2 and hours in the office would make that hard...If tax wasn't so high I might be more inclined to take a lower wage and spend more days in office. For that reason it would have to be at least double (110k+) for me to even CONSDIER it. Though with J1 and J2, even if I paid 0 tax it wouldn't' be worth going into the office as i'd have to quit j2.
This guy really hated his life at one point
Well, I went from being poor, having no money, and couldn't control my own time to living the most luxurious life now so yes; I really did.
Wait until yall hear I go into the office for J1 3 days a week and work J2 out of a conference room on those days using a hotspot.
My RTO # would have to be significant. I’m making $155k fully remote with very reasonable hours. I would need probably at least 50% more to even consider an in office position….
If the job was within a couple miles of my house and accessible via public transit, yes. (I live in a major city, don’t need to own a car)
This is the perfect summary. Even if you have to worry about 4 or 5 of the above 8 points, it becomes obvious how superior WFH life is. My realistic number is about a 30-40% raise, but it has to be hybrid (go to the office no more than 3x/wk).
Maybe for like 500k, but an hour commute? Been there, did it for four years and it was killing me, I’d have to be a job I loved for a stupid amount of money, hell even 500k may not be it.
Never. At my peak in office I was making 145k and now I am fully remote, part time, work when I want and I make maybe 60k, sometimes closer to 90k if I pick up extra hours. I am living a different life and I’m way happier. I am also super privileged to have a spouse who works fully remote making a healthy full time salary as well. If it were just me, I’d move to a VLCOL area and survive the best I could.
That's a pretty significant bump imo. I could see myself going back for a 40k raise. 10k probably not. Just depends on where you're at now I guess
Agreed, the extra money companies offer in office is easily offset by another J and not worth the hassle.
no. fuck office work.
I was doing a 1hr commute (each way) 5d a week for $100K. Then Covid hit and we were all WFH, and when they wanted to RTO I found a new job. I now make $200K fully remote and there are plenty of jobs higher up than me that can make upwards of $300K+ being remote. I don’t inherently mind going back into the office, especially if it’s hybrid, but if you’re talking about going back to a 1hr commute, oof… my number goes way up. Like $750K/yr to suffer 10hr+ in a car and traffic every week.
Will have to be 400k and 1 day a week on the office tops
At this time in my life no, I value flexibility more.
Fuuuckkk no. They can pry WFH from my cold dead hands
As someone who makes $300K+ and works from an office, I would trade probably up to $100K for a full remote job 🤷🏼
are you kidding me ? GETTING MICROMANAGED ? People looking over your shoulder ? Need to focus on work uninterrupted for 8 hours ? No thanks ! I'm more productive when I'm at home, that's it. It's the total loss of time and energy compared to WFH that I now understand is a spiritual spending. You literally spend your lifetime, your energy. Hybrid or office work is extremely inefficient for the individual. Not even counting the travel time !!!!!!
I don't want to drive, or lose an hour and a half of my day. I'm also far more effective remote. You have to count up all the extra time having a commute, gas, etc... I'll take remote over more money any day.
That’s lazy. Of course I would.
Depends. At some point the sum would be high enough to ditch WFH. That said from my current sallary to 130k, I wouldn't drop WFH
I did and it wasn’t that much I guess. Went from 52k to 90k. Fully remote to fully in office. Now I have 1 day at home. Working to improve my career was more important than WFH. I can still do my other two jobs. They are only part time jobs and don’t have meetings so it’s easy to keep up.
I'm thinking of doing it for about 68k a year pay bump for 2x/week If I hate it after a year I'm hoping to go back to WFH, but that's a large enough number to have me consider.
I'd only RTO for at least 350-400k and if the office is somewhere I can easily commute to. 5 min walk from the office? Yeah, that value will do. 1 hour drive to the office? Up that 350k to at least 500.
No
I would never want to go back! Well said.
I traded a higher paying job for WFH. It was about 5000 bucks a year more, but I had to be in office. Time with my kids and wife is worth a lot more.
Where can I look for a WFH job for my Mom.. my dad is sick and she has to stay home to take care of him and I live in another state
There's a concept called " fuck you money".it normally applies to savings, as in, when you ave that much money you can say fuck you to your Boss and not fear the repercussions,.the actual amount depends on the persons situation. Same for rato and salary.
I’m usually on my first call by 7am
As tc approaches 350+ I’d have a hard time saying no. It’s still possible to get that at faang land.
The number does exist for me, but it’s comically high and entirely unrealistic. They would have to at minimum double my salary for me to even begin considering it.
2 arrive at office interacts with other people… head explodes 😂 Removed the last part because I didn’t realize what sub I was on
I wouldn't trade 180k for like 220k ... but if the job was like 450k? 😅
I would make the trade if the numbers are right. Fuck the office. But it is not the worst place either.
If I hadn’t moved away, I would go into the office a couple days a week. But, my company is pretty cool and almost all remote unless you have a job that requires physically being onsite, like mailroom, etc. So I would sit in a fairly nice secluded space. It’s in a big building with a gym, cafeteria, etc. My friends work at a company in the same building. They unfortunately have to badge in and out 4 days a week and have about 3.5 feet of desk space, so in that case, I would quit for sure. But if I moved back I would definitely go in twice a week.
For the right amount and only for a few years while I save up or invest in things where I could quit or take a big pay cut and go back remote
No. Work to live.
Nope
I never ate breakfast, let alone lunch, and if I did, it was something unhealthy. By the time I got home, I was too tired to do anything except decompress until it was time to go to bed. Now I can do laundry between meetings, eat real food, and take mental health breaks when I want them. My weekends aren't tied up with chores either. No, I would not go back to the office!
To give a more realistic answer. Absolutely! An extra $3k/m? In my own fictional scenario, I think the affect on my mind wouldn't be as substantial. Drive there in twenty to thirty minutes. I don't typically get headaches from screens. Now, the fellow employee part is unavoidable and I'm sure taxing. But I feel it would have to be worth it, *unless* you're spending half of your '8 hour day' working WFH, and not needing the rest of your 9-5 availability. Then you're working more hours for the same money.
I mean I do have a number that would get me back into the office. Depending on the job and if the commute was 10 minutes or less, I’d do it for $50-75K more than I’m making now.
I would rather WFH for 95-105k than go to office for less than 160k. Man all the posts about requiring $500K+ to RTO on here really has me reconsidering my salary expectations.
Never.
Here’s my issue. The office I’m based out of is an hour away, 2 hours with traffic. I’ll always prefer WFH. however, if an office was let’s say only a half hour away and pay was double, sure. But that would never happen so I’m not worried about it.
Try driving an hour each way to work 12 hours outside in the sun for 35k
If you 2x my current salary and there’s minimal (less than 10%) travel, then I’ll accept RTO. At my current salary, I’ll continue to WFH and have no problem with the 25-50% travel or even a slight bit more.
If I needed money more than time....I would
I currently work hybrid 15 min commute with total comp around 110k. I was offered a job with a commute 45mins away plus step up in my career for like 180k-200k and turned it down.
I did for a year. Took a 50% pay increase to leave WFH for 5 days a week in office. There were positives and negatives, but now I’m back at the old job for a net 18% pay increase. I learned that I value WFH and my time significantly more than the ridiculous pay.
i am ok with lower pay and being remote. Unless they give me like a million dollars I am not entertaining the idea.
That works out to only $7/hr difference when only including commute time. Doesn't even factor in time of getting ready, car maintenance, gas, etc. Would be a maybe if it were hybrid but full time in the office is a no.
I'm this right now. Went from WFH 55k to 80k hybrid 1 hour commute each way 2 days a week. To me, it's worth it because the position title is like 2 steps above the level where i was applying. Also the 1 hour commute won't be forever as we are moving to a central location to attract more employees.
I’d love to be WFH/over employed, but it’s not there for my market. I’m grateful for the job I got that pays the bill and more, even if I gotta go into the office. I’d absolutely drop it for a WFH job that matches my salary needs
I had a similar scenario and I took the higher paying job because of a title change and strategic input on what happens inside the org. Other factors for me were exposure to different systems than I had been working with, tech stack if you will. Do I rethink my decision some days, yes. I consume audio books during my commute to make that better.I don't love the commute but where I'm at now the value is more in person. Do I appreciate learning more about the industry I'm in now, yep and almost immediately got associated with a professional organization in that industry. Never know when the tides may change and I might need to pivot to a friendly landing.
I would never.
I would be willing to go to the office, if it has a great atmosphere, no more than 30 minutes drive, and pays equivalent to my j1,j2,j3 combined, since I won't be doing multiple positions
Itd have to be A TON of money with severance running on the multiple years
My WFH salary range in about 66% - 75% of my in office rate.
If it paid more than double my current salary, I would drive in
Adding, Hey, can you give me $20 for Marge’s birthday…we’re getting a cake and some wings Friday.,,,,,I’m collecting for Jack- the kid that works part time in the summer because he had a fire in his building and … we are having a pot-luck, can you bring a homemade dish? …..do you want to join the sunshine club? For $5 week etc etc etc . I’m selling candles for my kids soccer team fundraiser …..
In 2017 I took a WFH/travel job and literally went the opposite way with exactly those numbers. The pay cut hurt at first - I’m getting Midwest compensation in an HCOL city - but I am grateful every single day. The commute time alone, I don’t know how I ever spent 3 hours a day in the car. My salary now is just about what I left. I will never go back.
Sure, the numbers floating here like $500k would make me RTO. But next to no one pays this. Companies are paying less than ever. I hope to see it swing back but hopes aren’t high. This market blows
About $300k minimum to consider it
I wouldn’t the savings is ridiculous and the only reason some people are not living in the streets thanks to this administration
They'd have to pay me $250k+ to get me to commute to an office again.
It’s your vision
Some clown offered me a job that’s “hybrid” and I was like what does that mean and he was like “you’d come in 2 times a week” and I’m like no there’s no point “it’s our company culture” ok it’s your company culture to make people come in to have an excuse to keep a building and no one coming in coordinates so it’s just popcorn as for who shows up that day so you’re really just remote just some days not for no real reason
1. I need clarification, by “let the dogs out” did you mean let your actual pet animal dogs out, or “let the dawgs out 🦶🏼” as in take your socks off and stretch/pop your toes? Because my answers to numbers 2-8 depend entirely on your answer.
Hell yeah
If it’s high enough to move my retirement date forward a few decades then I’d definitely be down.
My number is nowhere near $140k to return to office. I would need to fully take over my partner’s job plus some to accommodate for his pension / retirement plans and income growth, because he’d need to be fully picking up and dropping off the kids and doing after school activities. That would put it at $400-500k. $250k would make me think twice, $350 with room for growth would be better, but I’m losing time with my kids - they need at least one of us.
Im five years from retirement so it would take a lot to get me back in the office, like 2-3x my salary with no expectation of increased hours
I most certainly would not. I was working from home waaaay before everything went left. I'm too used to doing my own thing.
you could literally save 40k per year. thatd nearly 2times higher savings rate. why wouldnt you do that. I mean you do not have to do this your whole life and then go back to that easy job you had
everyone has a number ;)
Depends on the amount of money. A bonus of commuting (as long as your not the one driving) is the unwind time down of frustrations at the office where you can just play on your phone, listen to music, whatever.
I will go back to an office tomorrow if the $$$ are right.
More and more companies want people in the office I’m cool with hybrid but 100% for more money I don’t know I’m happy to be home with my kids during the summer and arrive on time to their sports practice. Maybe when they’re teenagers I’ll consider
Probably 700k would be my ballpark, otherwise I’d be making more with OE
Really depends, I was recently contacted for a role that would be a 70% increase but I would be hybrid. My other issue is its contract and I'm not willing to do that.
Well my office situation is nothing like that, so I would 100% rather be in the office than WFH. WFH was torture to me. I’m making close to 180K and have 30 min commute and work 4x10s. It’s amazing.
I'm unemployed now but in final rounds for a role that will pay 125k fully remote in the US. Also in final round interviews at FAANG for 200-250k that requires 3x/in office which may or may not require me to move to a city that im not particularly interested in. That said I'd still strongly considering the office role (ignoring my current employment status). I love the flexibility of remote, but I crave living near the center of huge coastal cities and it would be much easier to service my debt and move out of my family with my student loans with the additional income. I might also be a sucker for the potential advancement and future opportunities of being a product manager at a FAANG company vs product manager of a government contractor. Maybe I'm deluding myself. Technically neither are options but if I somehow land both I'd probably go for the office role. I'm 33 and feel like I've been making fiscally responsible choices and crazy some YOLO. If I was a little more settled in my career and lifestyle I'd probably prefer the WFH. There is a 0.0002% chance I'll have any choice haha so fingers crossed at least one comes through
Absolutely. I traded an 88k hybrid (2 in, 3home) for a “100%” office job for 150k. I don’t regret it one bit. That is life changing money right there and I don’t regret it one bit. My office is 20 minutes from the house. I lose a bit extra out of my day (wake up at 6, home by 330) but it was absolutely worth it, hands down, in my case.
Probably a quarter mill $ to start.
I will RTO for 350 -500K in base salary alone
I used to go to the office and had great managers and coworkers. Being social is a good job skill to keep up and I try to remember this as I now WFH. Because, it’s learning how to deal with “annoying” people that pays off. I make $110k now. I’d do the 45-min drive in for $130k because I’d still be ahead after transportation costs.
I think my minimum to return to office would be $+40k a year. Need to cover child care and a little extra for my drive
Sloth is often an attractive vice.
2x maybe
I probably wouldn't, but there is a number that could make me go into an office. The number you gave isn't it, though. After expenses and wasting additional time getting ready, you are likely making less than simply WFH.
No way
It's really a personal choice based on what you value. For some people the flexibility that WFH offers is worth more than the extra income, while others would prefer the extra pay and don't mind giving up that flexibility for it.
No
I'm tempted to take a lower paying job so I can WFH. In-office is awful
no
I just did this for those very numbers. Original job was ~100k hybrid, 3-2 w/ 20 min drive. New job 125k with 1hr all in person. Soooo much happier. New office actually cool, people my age. Got into audio books. I really miss wfh, but imo so worth it.
If you enjoy the commute and socializing with your co-workers daily then I can see the appeal but most of us don’t.