One woman decided to quit her six-figure salary because she was required to return to the office full-time.
When the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic struck in 2020, most workplaces that were able to instruct staff to work from home are now back to normal, but many has decided to continue remote work or offer a hybrid model. , some days from home and other days at the office.
But other employees told staff they had to return to the office full time. And for one employee, that was enough to get her attention.
Felicia, 53, was working as an administrator in Arizona for a six-figure salary. Until recently, her workplace operated a hybrid model, two days at the office and three days at home. It was a “perfect” arrangement, she said.
In an interview with Insider, Felicia said she felt like she got “more work done” on days she worked from home because there were too many “distractions and interruptions” at the office.
She added: “I didn't get my work done so I went home and worked for four hours.”
And when the change was made to require all employees to work full-time in the office, Felicia held out for about a month before deciding to quit.
Felicia says she realized one day when she was stuck in traffic on her way to the office that she wasn't getting anywhere.
“I know how to do my job,” she said. “You don't have to be in the office to do your job.
“I just knew I didn’t want to go back to feeling the way I used to.”
She continued, “I got to the point where it just wasn't working for me.
“And I stepped away from a $100,000-plus annual salary to seek a position with a hybrid option so I could have work-life balance.”
Felicia says she's not the only one to leave her old job for a new job that allows her to work remotely sometimes.
Felicia says she is willing to take on lower-paying jobs if they offer hybrid working, which she claims will help her improve her work-life balance.
“The payoff is that the convenience of a hybrid option saves you the stress of driving, traffic, and being out five days a week versus being able to do the exact same job, etc.,” she said.
