Would you take a pay cut to keep working from home? With RTO becoming the norm again, I’ve been thinking about how much I’d actually give up to avoid commuting and stay remote. The flexibility has been a game-changer—no more two-hour commutes, more time with family, and honestly, I’m way more productive. But now my company’s pushing for 3 days in the office, and it’s making me wonder if I’d trade a chunk of my salary to keep that freedom. Have you thought about this? Would a smaller paycheck be worth it to stay remote, or is the in-office push just part of the job now?

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No. Plain and simple. If you’re doing the work, taking a pay cut is BS. The company already saves money on you not using any in office resources, and gets more out if you without a commute.

Collective mentality everyone. Don’t accept pay cuts.

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And if you DO take a pay cut, mandate that your employer contract says you can have secondary employment and they can’t restrict you from supporting yourself financially

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I objectively get more work done from home than at the office and absolutely loathe commuting the days that I go in. But it doesn't seem fair to take a pay cut when I'm more productive working from home.

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No. We, the employees, are not the ones signing inflated leases for nothing more but diminishing returns, so why should we have to pay for it? We’re already overworked, and in a perpetual cycle of having to fulfill multiple roles at once, so why would a pay cut be necessary when the same, if not more, value is being extracted whether you work at an office or home?

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I definitely would if I had to. But I am a working mother so the flexibility of being home is worth more than me. Honestly it is a bit ridiculous to even need to take a pay cut though when I’m doing the same work.

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Lol I had a manager ask this (several years pre-pandemic) when the project managers/producers came together and asked for 1 day a week WFH. “What would you be willing to give up?” Nothing. We were all experienced, capable people who had been at the company at least 2 years. She denied our request. Within a year the company got rid of their large office space due to an untenable rent increase, cut their staff substantially due to financial issues, and moved to a 2 day WFH schedule based entirely on available desk space in the new, much smaller, office.
This is about power and greed, plain and simple. These people are trying to squeeze us because they only care about shareholders, or the possibility of future shareholders. It’s evil tbh and executives asking this question should be ashamed.

I’m not being paid enough/fairly for the increase in expenses to commute currently, so I could justify staying at my current salary and being remote hahaha, but I also know how hard I’ve been working over the years and believe a raise is in order regardless of my location so it’s a tough call because I don’t want to undervalue myself.

Choosing a job is often influenced by salary and benefits, and it sounds like remote work has been a valuable benefit for you—one that seems to be becoming less available. It’s completely valid to consider taking a pay cut to maintain that flexibility if it enhances your quality of life. On the other hand, exploring opportunities with higher pay and similar benefits is always an option. Ultimately, the right decision depends on what aligns best with your personal and professional goals. There’s no right or wrong choice—just the one that makes the most sense for you and your situation.

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