Great Resignation/Remote work policies (@ mentions)

[redheadbaker]

With so many people leaving jobs, looking for new jobs, etc. I have a question. 

If a company prohibited working from home as a policy (although temporarily being flexible if you or a minor need to quarantine), would that be a deal-breaker for you? 

I was really excited about the prospect of working at my alma mater. I just had a third-round interview with the VP of marketing. The money isn't great, but medical benefits seem good, decent PTO/sick time (about the same as I'm getting at my current job, though once January hits, I'll be getting more PTO at my current job b/c of my 5-year anniversary with them). I doubt I'd take much advantage of the tuition benefits myself and DS is still only in elementary school. 

They don't allow working from home. I currently WFH full-time, and if/when the office re-opens, I doubt I'd be in much more than once a week. I've had the ability to work from home at least a couple of days a week for years, I don't think I can go back to being in the office 5 days a week. It's been so good for my mental health to work at home a few days a week. 

[mrspez07]

So what is the upside of this job? You don’t really list anything that is worth changing jobs for or sounds better than what you have.

[seeyalater52]

Ugh, I feel for you. This is such a hard decision.

Being able to be permanently remote is a decently large factor driving my decision to job search. My current organization hasn’t re-opened our office yet and it isn’t exactly imminent but senior management has been cagey about whether management level staff will be required back in person full time. They are also in negotiations with the staff union trying to require unionized staff to return to the office mostly full time at some point in the future. I think it would be hypocritical for management to continue to WHF and it’s arbitrary to force any of us back because we can work fine remotely. If you CAN do your work remotely it would bother me that they won’t allow it. Also I have no interest in going back to spending 3+ hours a day commuting. My work life balance is SO much better now.

[redheadbaker]

Nov 4, 2021 20:12:56 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

So what is the upside of this job? You don’t really list anything that is worth changing jobs for or sounds better than what you have.

.... that's a really good question. 

[kath16]

For me, yes. It would be a dealbreaker. My job is a basic computer job and there is no need to be in an office full time. Once or twice a week is fine for me but five days is not for me anymore.

[1yeartogo]

I am in a college and they don’t have teleworking (they are trying to work out a policy but it is likely student facing departments will not qualify). It really sucks knowing so many people are wfh or hybrid and that we are stuck in this regressive model and won’t ever be allowed to have that work life balance that we all want.

With that said a lot of higher Ed is a sinking ship right now (unless you are working somewhere with a big endowment). The college population is shrinking year by year and most colleges have to adapt by getting leaner and leaner.

[redheadbaker]

Nov 4, 2021 20:14:47 GMT -5 kath16 said:

For me, yes. It would be a dealbreaker. My job is a basic computer job and there is no need to be in an office full time. Once or twice a week is fine for me but five days is not for me anymore.

Yeah, I'd be in marketing -- not student-facing. My job can easily be done 100% remotely. 

[lemoncupcake]

I would be very reluctant to take an office-only job. It is such a big help in my personal life (no commute time, less stress in the mornings, ability to take care of house stuff/errands at lunch) that going to an office even a few days a week would be hard. 100% would be awful.

Also, unless there’s a good reason to need to be in the office, I think it speaks to a larger culture of rigidity and old-school policies that would make think there could be other issues. It’s 2021, working remotely at least some of the time is completely normal.

[lemoncupcake]

Nov 4, 2021 20:14:34 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Nov 4, 2021 20:12:56 GMT -5 mrspez07 said:

So what is the upside of this job? You don’t really list anything that is worth changing jobs for or sounds better than what you have.

.... that's a really good question. 

Is it the nostalgia factor in working for you lot Alma mater? I get that, but I don’t think it’s worth such a big sacrifice.

[munkii]

I accepted a job a few months ago, and one of the big reasons I accepted the job was because their WFH policy. They were very vocal about work-life balance being important and recognizing that a strong WFH policy helps with that (less commute time, more time at home, etc). They are altering the policy a bit effective January, but it's requiring on-campus presence of 3 days from 2 days. If they change this further, I will not be pleased as the WFH policy was a big selling point. If they had prohibited WFH, I would never had accepted the position.

[breezy8407]

Today? Yes it would be a deal breaker. I have noticed how much my mood improves when I know I am WFH the next day or the morning of. I go into the office 2-3X a week currently, and those days I feel so scattered and distracted. I am so much more productive and focused at home. Its been great for my mental health for sure. I don't have a really long commute, but the time to get myself "office ready" and drive there does add up! And, if I am being really transparent, I love being able to workout at home over the lunch hour.

@@@
I really enjoy being able to be present and flexible since my kids are still young. They are 9 and don't require constant supervision, so if something arises I can WFH with them here.

[lucybrown]

Nov 4, 2021 20:15:21 GMT -5 1yeartogo said:

I am in a college and they don’t have teleworking (they are trying to work out a policy but it is likely student facing departments will not qualify). It really sucks knowing so many people are wfh or hybrid and that we are stuck in this regressive model and won’t ever be allowed to have that work life balance that we all want.

With that said a lot of higher Ed is a sinking ship right now (unless you are working somewhere with a big endowment). The college population is shrinking year by year and most colleges have to adapt by getting leaner and leaner.

Yep. All of this. And we’re losing excellent employees to other organizations that offer better pay and more flexibility.

OP, I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to work 5 days per week. I’m currently supposed to go to campus two days per week and I’m struggling to do that. If they push us back eventually, I’ll start looking for a new job more seriously, even if it means leaving the field.

[redheadbaker]

Nov 4, 2021 20:19:35 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Nov 4, 2021 20:14:34 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

.... that's a really good question. 

Is it the nostalgia factor in working for you lot Alma mater? I get that, but I don’t think it’s worth such a big sacrifice.

It's possible, yes. 

[Velar Fricative]

I hate WFH so much. I need to leave my house, so no, it would not be a dealbreaker for me. BUT, it would have to be a job with a short commute if I’m fully onsite. I’m only a 15-minute drive from my office so I don’t mind going in 5 days a week.

It doesn’t otherwise sound like this new job had a huge upside for you regardless of the lack of WFH. But if the commute isn’t short I definitely wouldn’t consider it.

[katyintx]

In your specific situation listed above, it would likely be a deal breaker for me.

I’ve been WFH for close to 6 years. For 4 of those years I lived in Houston and the commute (when I rarely did have to go in to an office) was 1:15 each way. I did entertain the idea of finding a new job in that time, and figured that to go back to a commute/office, the pay would have to be at least X more. I took into account commute costs, wardrobe upgrades, less of a work/life balance, etc. If a new job didn’t provide at least X more, it wasn’t worth it to me.

[krystee]

I think the only way I would consider 100% in office is if the pay could not be matched elsewhere. I am fine going back in a couple days, but being at home at least a couple days a week is so nice.

[goldengirlz]

I hate working from home with a passion BUT. I think most forward-looking employers are moving toward providing more flexibility, not less, and I’d wonder how else they’re behind the times. I wouldn’t mind a job where the general expectation was coming into the office everyday, but I would mind A LOT if you couldn’t easily WFH whenever you needed to (waiting for a plumber, doctor’s appointment, whatever.) Even in the Before Times, no one batted an eye at my current job if I was just like, I’m WFH today. And I’d do that maybe twice a month or so.

[preppy]

I am 100% remote and not being able to work 100% remote is a deal breaker for me. I will never go back to working from an office. I don’t think everyone needs 100% WFH but I think not offering flexibility in terms of some remote work is an absolute no go these days and companies who don’t offer that will lose talent.

[waverly]

I’m 100% in person and have been since the big shutdown. But my job is flexible and I can work from home if someone is sick or I have a house appointment. I can also take whatever time off whenever I want for the most part. My commute is not the shortest. I work from home 1 day a week for a year and it was amazing and my work life balance was better. I am back fully in person now, but that is how all of my industry is.

[penguingrrl]

It wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me, but my type of work will never be able to be fully remote. I also like working from the office as I have access to resources and materials that aren’t available at home or online. So I expect to never WFH for more than quarantine/snow day/appointment type stuff. I am given a lot of flexibility when I do need it for any of those things, or other family situations.

It would be a deal breaker for H, and his company is losing a ton of people over it. He has a medical exemption from returning to the office, but if in the future they expected him to return to the office full time he would find a new job.

[Captain Catnip]

My job currently is in office 5x a week. I just started there in August, but the job can definitely be done completely remote. I very rarely talk to anyone but my boss, and that's usually via IM anyway. They were remote at the height of COVID last year, but not now. I will get one WFH day when I start my second year. I am wondering, though, if that will change with the COVID vax or test weekly mandate. I have a feeling that if people are fully remote they will be able to get around that rule, or it being added.

(I previously worked in retail and my job wasn't able to be done remotely. )

[circa1978]

I work in higher ed marketing and our entire division has moved to flexible work or work at home. There are a lot of jobs out there and I personally wouldn't take a higher ed marketing role that didn't offer that right now. It doesn't speak well to the institution being flexible/changing with market demand or valuing staff (and the latter is a huge adjustment if you chose a higher ed role; staff is not the priority at all in HE).

Unless you want the tuition benefits or are just a glutton for punishment, I would hard pass.

[ellipses84]

I wonder if the policy is stricter than the reality by department. My last company didn’t necessarily allow WFH but they also didn’t want us coming in sick and getting everyone else sick or missing a deadline due to someone being out unexpectedly. We could work remotely in that case, or if we had to be home for big deliveries or home maintenance, as long as our manager knew about it and there was no major reason to be in the office.

I’d want a significant pay increase and lots of PTO to go back to an office full time. I don’t think my industry will stay WFH forever but it will be for me for the foreseeable future and I’m trying to ride it out for as long as I have @ kids at home. In your situation, if it seems like an awesome position that gets you closer to your dream career goal, it’s worth considering.

To consider zero WFH flexibility, there would have to be a ton of vacation, sick time and coverage in my absence to make up for it. I would also have to be 100% off the clock at home. If they can’t be flexible in my work life I’m not going to be flexible in my home life.

A long commute 5 days/ week would be a deal breaker for me.

[RoxMonster]

I will say this. I'm in a job that has to be 100% in person (I'm a teacher). I experienced WFH from March-May of 2020, and I absolutely LOVED it. I have an almost hour-long commute and just overall (even at the height of the pandemic and all the anxiety that brought with it), it was so much better for my mental health to WFH.

There are several other reasons why as well, but this year, I am working on transitioning out of teaching and into an instructional design role. I'm doing some online courses, translating my resume, etc. I plan to only apply to positions that are advertised as being fully remote (or at least with that option). So even though I'm not in a job that can be remote, I totally understand the need and want to WFH in jobs that can be.

[zarapipe]

I just left my job last month. It allowed WFH 1x a week. New job does not offer WFH but it came with a 30% increase in pay and turned a 40 min commute into a 7 minute commute. My quality of life has definitely improved in only just a few weeks. I’m saving an hour plus I’m driving every day.

I was in higher Ed before and like pp said it’s really hard right now. People are leaving in droves, everyone is short staffed, stretched thin, and there has been no pay increases in years. My new job is corporate and so much less stressful.

[candreco]

Honestly, a hard no telework policy would be a dealbreaker for me. I've been teleworking 1-2 days a week for nearly a decade now (one of the first in my organization to do it), and I cannot imagine going back to full time in the office. With the changes in our policies due to the pandemic, I'm up to 2-3 days of telework a week, and it's definitely my sweet spot for time in my own space without distractions and being around coworkers for collaboration.

The ability to WFH has a HUGE impact on my work-life balance and general mental state. Even a higher salary would not make up for having to be in the office every day; I'm very fortunate to be paid at a level that time is more valuable to me than more money.

[icedcoffee]

I worked from home 1 day a week 3 years ago. Then I took this job and they said no to my request to continue. Then Covid hit and I’ve been wfh since March 2020. I started coming in once a week on my own decision. Once we return to “normal” I’m proposing my schedule be wfh 3 days a week. Gone are the days of commuting 5 days a week and gone are the days of sitting around just to have face time. Once I’m done for the day I leave whether it’s 7pm or 2pm.

[af1212]

Maybe I’m missing something but nothing about the job you are interviewing for sounds better than the job you currently have.

My career is in an area where there is no WFH option but I’m currently working (part time) in two different jobs where I can completely WFH. The jobs are fine, the pay is eh, but the flexibility it allows me is exactly what I need right now in my life.

I would really think hard before making that switch.

[breezy8407]

Nov 5, 2021 6:40:34 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I worked from home 1 day a week 3 years ago. Then I took this job and they said no to my request to continue. Then Covid hit and I’ve been wfh since March 2020. I started coming in once a week on my own decision. Once we return to “normal” I’m proposing my schedule be wfh 3 days a week. Gone are the days of commuting 5 days a week and gone are the days of sitting around just to have face time. Once I’m done for the day I leave whether it’s 7pm or 2pm.

I hope this becomes less of a thing...before covid, I would make sure I was at my desk working by 7:30am and would usually stay until 5pm, or until most of leadership left for the day. Now there are days when I will go in to the office after lunch, or leave early and finish my day at home. 

[underwaterrhymes]

For me it would be a deal breaker, yes. And, honestly, I think that orgs that are that inflexible are going to find it hard to attract quality candidates in positions that don’t necessitate being in person (e.g. service industry / education / utilities and maintenance / medical field, etc.)

There is absolutely something to be said for in-person connection, but requiring staff to be in the office every day is not, in my opinion, a viable stance going forward.