Workplace offering permanent work from home option... for a 10% pay cut

[riverwed070707]

That's pretty awesome? Do you have complete flexibility to complete a set amount of work and are not constrained to being on your computer 8-5? If so, you could find ways to make your work more efficient, and get a second job, could potentially make a lot more money.

Probably not. You do have to apply and there are a chain of approvals after which you set your core working hours and select a start date. I get the impression they want you to have some consistency in your schedule but you can choose your hours which are expected to still total 40 hours a week. I do have side income and have always had the flexibility to take meetings for my other business, etc during work hours as needed so I guess it wouldn't be that much different as long as my core job was getting done. The thing that most makes me shy away from taking this opportunity right now is that I'm an event planner and we have no events for the rest of the year - my workload will be light at least through the fall when we're ready to start planning 2021. I'd hate to start working from home and then have someone evaluate my productivity and assume I'm not working hard enough because I'm at home. I've already talked to my boss about supplemental work and she said she will find some things to help fill my time but I'm doubtful it will be a full workload. If this were a normal year and I had all my normal work to do, I would have no concerns about trying to appear busy. Further, the reality of my industry is it will likely take years to recover to a time when we're doing 30+ events a year again at the size and scale we were doing previously. I'm nervous to take any steps that might make me appear dispensable because NO ONE is hiring event planners right now and I can't even wrap my head around what it would look like to start doing something different in this job market.

[Like2Plan]

If I was in the workforce, I would not take a pay cut to work from home. I think companies are going to have to deal with covid-19 for a little while. To my way of thinking, workers are saving the company money by working from home. If you work from home, the company doesn't have to provide a work space (any maybe more work space to social distance), security and they don't have to worry about increased sanitation requirements. Shoot--they must be saving a fortune on toilet paper given the uptick on toilet paper purchases for home use.
I would hold out for at least 100% of pay.

[cypher1]

SAME. Some people are going stir crazy in quarantine and I'm over here in my happy place. Cooking, clean house, exercising with my dog...it's been awesome. My stress levels are way down having a better work-home balance. Nothing stresses me out more than a long day at work and then coming home to a messy house and feeling like there is more work to be done

Agreed. While I prefer going into the office (since I moved a few miles away recently), and miss interacting with most of my peers, I really don't mind the stay in order as many of my habits really haven't changed too much. Now if I couldn't workout, I'd probably go crazy.

On a separate topic, I still have family members and friends admit they should be making more time to cook, clean, de-clutter, and exercise. Yet complain about being bored being stuck at home. So in a situation where most of us (not all) have an opportunity to change our habits, its pretty unfortunate that a lot simply won't.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

My DH has the option to WFH permenantly. We also have the option now of relocating. Time to put my money where my mouth is. Is it our chance to move? I don't know. We have to talk a lot. We have until January 1st to decide.

[Like2Plan]

My DH has the option to WFH permenantly. We also have the option now of relocating. Time to put my money where my mouth is. Is it our chance to move? I don't know. We have to talk a lot. We have until January 1st to decide.

Would your DH have to take a pay cut in order to take this option? Would your DH still have to go into work once in a while? Is he hesitant to do it because he likes to go into the office?

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Would your DH have to take a pay cut in order to take this option? Would your DH still have to go into work once in a while? Is he hesitant to do it because he likes to go into the office?

We have to talk. He loves the office. And I don't think he'd need to go in. But yes there would be a pay adjustment depending on where we move.

[riverwed070707]

After a ton of consideration, I've decided to let go of my hang up on whether I think the pay cut is justified or fair and embrace the benefits. Two primarily deciding factors for me. 1) If someone had offered me a WFH job 3 months ago at a 10% cut, I would have taken it without hesitation. I know I could not leave my current employer and take any other job at my same pay, let alone a remote position. 2) DD is headed to middle school. I think being able to be home when she gets home from school every day would be invaluable during such a transformative time. Still working on what my schedule will look like but I sat in on an informational call yesterday and we are able to set any hours we want so long as they total 40 hours a week. Realized that this alone is 5 hours less than my current core working hours since we have a 9 hour day to accommodate a lunch break. Between that and saving 2.5 hours of commuting each week, I calculated I'd be saving 138 hours per year not spent in the office or driving. Thinking something like M-F 7:30-3:30 which puts an extra two hours back into the end of my day compared to my current hours and commute.

I had previously set up a schedule for 4 day work weeks through Labor Day using PTO every other Friday and Monday. Going to try to get it approved to keep my summer schedule at my current pay and begin my WFH schedule in the fall. During that time I'll set aside the income that I'll be losing just to get a feel for not having it and pad my savings a bit. Excited to see how it goes

[LivingAlmostLarge]

That sounds brilliant. DH said that there are people he's working with wanted more money because they wanted to work 7 days a week. They are single and bored to tears at home and working all the time. Productivity is at an all time high. DH is definitely working more in some ways to make up for his inefficiency of having me and the kiddos at home.

[Fishindude77]

I wouldn't want to work from home all the time.
Enjoyed interacting with others at the office, plus it was kind of nice to just shut the door and leave work knowing there was none of that stuff to deal with at home.

[riverwed070707]

That sounds brilliant. DH said that there are people he's working with wanted more money because they wanted to work 7 days a week. They are single and bored to tears at home and working all the time. Productivity is at an all time high. DH is definitely working more in some ways to make up for his inefficiency of having me and the kiddos at home.

That sounds awful lol I have no interest in working 7 days a week even if I have nothing meaningful to fill my days off

[LivingAlmostLarge]

That sounds awful lol I have no interest in working 7 days a week even if I have nothing meaningful to fill my days off

Me too! And DH too. But we have kids and business. I guess if there was nothing else to do but look at 4 walls. And you can only watch so much netflix, hulu, streaming.

[ua_guy]

I’m hoping this is part of a new trend. 100% remote for 10% less pay. Yes please.

$1,250,000 for a not perfect home but within an hour and a half commute of an office job;

$400,000 for the perfect home somewhere way away from big cities, big crime, and with wide open spaces *as long as there’s viable internet

WIN, plus the ongoing costs of commute savings and personal stress/hatred of office environments.

[~bs]

I’m hoping this is part of a new trend. 100% remote for 10% less pay. Yes please.

$1,250,000 for a not perfect home but within an hour and a half commute of an office job;

$400,000 for the perfect home somewhere way away from big cities, big crime, and with wide open spaces *as long as there’s viable internet

WIN, plus the ongoing costs of commute savings and personal stress/hatred of office environments.

Exactly! SO many possibilities. I'd snap this opportunity up in a heartbeat.