Related Posts
Did Someone say jockstrap Friday?
Conversation Starter
Additional Posts in Salaries in Advertising & Marketing
Jr. Cw Salary in LA?
How much do Jr. creatives make at BBDO NY?
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Don't ask. You are not doing better work, contributing more, or meaningfully making the company more profit. You just are now in person an extra day. You will come off entitled.
Solid take
You can try to ask, but they will likely shut you down. They don't have a duty to pay more when they make you return to the office. So many companies have forced RTO and aren't paying any more than they were before.
But if that was the original stipulations in your job offer, aren’t you agreeing to adding something that wasn’t originally in the job offer?
Is everyone going in? If not, it’s fair to mention that the local employees have to pay commuting costs that remote employees don’t.
That’s off the table then.
You can ask for a puppy, no one’s stopping you. In my experience, the only way to get more compensation is with an offer letter showing a bigger salary (or a more flexible schedule). So go out and interview with a 3x a week agency, and then come back to your boss with leverage.
True, this is a valid perspective
You can ask for anything you want. They will say no, however.
Unfortunately they would rather say no, allow you to quit, and hire someone to do your job at a lower salary due to a weak job market.
I deal you one better, ask for a promotion that comes with an increased salary.
Well that might be risky, but it would be awesome if it came true!!
It's fair to ask but it probably won't get you anywhere. In my experience, companies use return to office as a way to encourage employees to leave rather than having to lay anyone off. Hopefully that's not the case at your company, but they may not be very incentivized to keep you happy.
Oh my that is scary. Didn't even think about it that way.
Mentor
Was the company 3x a week when you started? I would be inclined to ask for some commuter benefits or perks if my request is related to commuting. I wouldn’t ask for a salary increase with having achievements or increase responsibilities to point to to justify it.
Subject Expert
Absolutely fair to ask — and frame it as exactly what it is: a compensation reduction.
One additional commute day per week is 40-50 extra days in the office annually. Add up the real costs — transit or parking, time, wear — and you're likely looking at $3-6k in out-of-pocket and opportunity costs depending on your commute.
RTO mandates are effective pay cuts, and more employees are successfully pushing back when they quantify the actual impact rather than arguing the principle.
Come to the conversation with your number, your math, and a calm ask. The worst they say is no — and that answer tells you exactly where you stand before the policy takes effect.
What's your commute situation — that changes how significant the actual hit is?
My commute is very far. I am over an hour away so it would be even worse if it was an extra day in office a week.