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posted by Fnord666 on Monday July 27 2020, @04:19AM   Printer-friendly
from the working-my-way-back-to-you dept.

There's been some recent speculation about the effects working from home will have on various parts of the economy, particularly the commercial real estate market. If companies can figure out how to keep employees productive, coupled with the desire for some to relocate to more rural areas (and consequently, farther away from the office), it's possible some companies may reconsider continuing to carry all the overhead associated with having an office.

Which leads to the question: should remote workers accept a pay cut for working remotely?

A recent survey of 600 U.S. adults found 66 percent willing to take a pay cut for the flexibility of working remotely.

To what degree varied, however.

  • Fourteen percent would take a one to four percent cut;
  • Twenty-nine percent would take a five-to-14 percent cut;
  • Seventeen percent would take a 15-to-24 percent cut;
  • Seven percent would take a 25 percent or more cut;
  • Thirty-four percent would not take a lower salary for flexible remote work.

The survey, taken from July 5 through 7 from Fast, a start-up specializing in online checkout, found COVID-19 safety concerns part of the current appeal of remote working. Thirty-nine percent were less comfortable returning to their physical office compared to 30 days before. However, 65 percent preferred a workplace that gives employees the flexibility to choose where and when they work remotely.

[...] The concept of "localized compensation" or paying someone less for the same work because of where they live is being hotly debated in human resources circles. In May, Facebook drew some backlash after announcing that employees choosing to permanently work remotely will receive salary cuts if they move to less expensive areas.

Originally spotted on The Eponymous Pickle.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ledow on Monday July 27 2020, @08:00AM (2 children)

    by ledow (5567) on Monday July 27 2020, @08:00AM (#1027010) Homepage

    I'll take a pay-cut proportional to my fuel/commuting cost. That's it.

    Everything else *they* are saving money, not me. Not having to heat the office, not having to provide furniture and equipment, not paying for Internet.

    The maximum I'd take away is my commute cost.

    But in reality, I'd want the same or more - or for them to pay a portion of my Internet, equipment, heating, furniture, hell even compensate me for lunch (my lunch is provided in my workplace).

    And we've not PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt - a lot of people's jobs can be done entirely remotely, and a lot of people's jobs could be done by housebound, disabled, etc. people quite easily.

    Someone raised one interesting point though - at which point does "working from home" become "using your property for business purposes"? Because my insurers, landlord, taxation, etc. might well take exception if it starts to creep into that definition.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 27 2020, @08:52AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 27 2020, @08:52AM (#1027015)

    I'll take a pay-cut proportional to my fuel/commuting cost

    Don't underestimate the hidden costs of working from home. If there are commute savings you'd be better off investing them in your infrastructure so that you can better do your job and / or be in a position to take on other work should your employer go full-retard

  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday July 27 2020, @01:29PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Monday July 27 2020, @01:29PM (#1027069)

    I'll take a pay cut if the option is finding another job.

    If they pay cut me far enough, I may just find another job anyway.

    That's the market - and if my whole industry just went WFH, there's plenty of opportunities that used to require relocation to places like Minneapolis, Kalamazoo, and Boston that have just opened to me (which I never would have considered were they not WFH.)

    While there was significant pocket resistance to WFH in my company before COVID-19, when they were back-to-the-wall about offer WFH or lose a valuable employee with 10+ years of experience, they'd usually find WFH opportunities for them.

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