I’m Torn. Should I Leave My Six-Figure Job So I Can Work Remotely?

[Root] Access is ITPro Today’s advice column for your questions about IT issues, career decisions, and workplace concerns. Submit your questions here. Note that questions may be edited for publication.

Dear [Root Access],

My employer “graciously” allowed everyone to go remote during the pandemic, which was fine because I worked from home four out of five days a week anyway. As a security tech, my job can be done from anywhere; I only needed in person for a weekly staff meeting.

But now our new CEO wants to cancel all work from home. The CIO is in his pocket and doesn’t want to make waves, so he isn’t opposed to this decision. The CFO doesn’t even think IT is very important (We’re a major retail catalog organization, so he thinks all we need is a website and done. Sure, dude, a Fortune 1000 retailer can just work off of Wix).

How should I react to this? I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth leaving a six-figure job with decent benefits over this issue.

—Stay or Go

Dear Stay or Go,

You’re right to weigh the pros and cons of returning to the office or leaving for another remote job.

According to Gartner, 63% of HR leaders have reported increased return-to-office (RTO) mandates. Some RTO moves were inevitable, like when companies directly communicated their new, temporary work-from-home policies in 2020. In this case, it sounds like your employer wasn’t so clear, and a leadership change has stirred distrust.

Related:ITPro Today 2024 IT Salary Survey Report

Whether a Remote Work Pinky Swear™ was broken or not, you’re stuck now in a complicated prioritization exercise. 

Start by defining your “non-negotiables” for any job. Non-negotiables are the essential conditions that must be met before you accept a new job or decide to stay in your current one. For some, a non-negotiable is a specific base salary, health insurance, a flexible work schedule, or career development support. For others, it’s to work remotely – full stop. 

ITPro Today's 2024 IT Salary Survey Report found that about a quarter of respondents prioritize telecommuting/working at home.

What are your non-negotiables? If it’s remote work or the flexibility it provides, then you deserve to find a role that meets those baseline needs.

But if remote work isn’t a non-negotiable, your question signals something else is missing. Double-check that the rest of your needs are getting met through this role. Ask yourself: How comfortable are you with your work and the fulfillment you get from it? How confident are you in your leaders? How respected do you feel? How much meaning do you get from work? Does your job align with your values? 

Sometimes, a revoked benefit like working from home stirs rightful concern – a non-negotiable was removed from your total compensation. But sometimes, change helps us realize that something else was already feeling off-kilter for us. Even in a tight job market, you deserve to address that, too. 

Related:Microsoft Teams Is Acting Up. What Can We Do?

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[Root] Access is an advice column for IT pros. Submit questions here.