How much sacrifice is WFH worth?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| I am generally happy with my job - like the work, like my colleagues, hours are reasonable, pay is good, etc. But I am worn out from the daily grind of working full-time and parenting and really want a break. My kids are in elementary school, and I want to keep working, but it would be nice to be around more in the evening and not be so tired from working and commuting. I already WFH once a week, and find the days that I do, I have much more energy. But more WFH is not an option at my company. So I've been thinking that one solution to my burgeoning burn-out would be to find a WFH job - and I see one currently that I think has promise. I'm very interested in the company, but the position itself would probably not be as good for my long-term growth as my current one. I've seen a few other WFH possibilities, but they are jobs I wouldn't take if they were full-time or not 100% WFH - there is always some level of compromise, whether it's the job quality itself, pay or future opportunities. So for those who do WFH 100%, have you had to make any career sacrifice to do so, and has it been worth it? |
Anonymous
| I don't work from home, but my sister does. I don't think that her career has suffered, but she also works for a company where 90% of the employees work from home. I think that makes a big difference in advancement potential. |
Anonymous
| I think it's worth quite a bit, especially around here where there are such soul-sucking commutes. My company's been moving more and more to allowing flexible hours/telecommuting for almost all staff and it's been great, and has kept me there when otherwise I might've looked elsewhere for a higher salary. I would think it's worth at least looking into this new opportunity. You don't have to stay forever if you think your career will suffer. Or, you may decide that you don't even mind giving up potential career advancement for quality of life in other areas. As I've moved into my 40s I've gotten less interested in that anyway - we make enough money as it is and I am becoming more mindful about balancing where work fits into my overall life. |
Anonymous
| I just don't think I have enough words to tell you how amazing working from home is. It has enhance the quality of my life in every facet imaginable. My relationship with my spouse, my kids, myself, my stress is a 10th of what it was working in an office. |
Anonymous
| I hate my current job but just turned down an offer that didn't allow me to WFH. No telework is a dealbreaker. |
Anonymous
| My husband just got approved for 100%, and he would gladly turn down a promotion if that wasn't part of the package. Not having to pay for the commute, and a decrease in our cost of living is worth the lower pay. |
Anonymous
| I honestly would take a pay cut to be able to 100% work from home. At this point in my life (40s, young kids, like vacations, make well into the 6 figured) - I don’t really care about promotion potential or career growth. I just want some flexibility. |
Anonymous
My DH feels the same way. |
Anonymous
+ 1. In most ways it is amazing. I do have to fight off depression and loneliness from time to time. But I also work a lot of long hours, so that probably has more of an impact than simply working from home. Not having to commute saves 3 hours a day (including the time spent taking a shower and putting on nice clothes and makeup, which I don't do most days). Having the flexibility to take my kids to dr. appointments and go to school events has been fantastic. I have to make up the work later, but the flexibility to structure my schedule and avoid commute time has been an amazing gift. |
Anonymous
|
I went from working 40 hours a week and in the office 3 days week (and 2 from home) to 20 hours a week from home. It was a big change but I'm happy with it.
I really like working from home. My DH did it for a while but got stir crazy and switched for an outside the house job. |
Anonymous
Same. I’ve worked mostly at home part time for the past year, and I am so thankful that I don’t have to do the grind of going to the office, making small talk, etc. every day. I do have occasional meetings and events I have to attend, but I like that. I juggle a few different gigs / contracts / consulting projects, so some weeks are crazy busy, but I love having the flexibility of running errands during the middle of the day, keeping DS home for a special event or appointment, and being able to work in jeans and bare feet on my couch. Today I’m just reading a book, and I won’t be interrupted by phone calls or colleagues chatting. DH also mostly WAH, so I feel like we’ve got a great balance of being able to keep up with things and not stress about commuting with a cranky toddler who’s had a 9-hour day at child care. To answer OP, I sacrificed pay and benefits, going from about $80k and amazing benefits to about $60k and no benefits. But the big benefit is being happy and not having to deal with “the grind.” Worth it. |
Anonymous
| I would gladly take a 20% pay cut to WFH full-tiime |
Anonymous
| This is OP. Thanks for all the comments. What do you think if the WFH job is one that you will like less than your current job. As is the day-to-day tasks are not ones you find thrilling. They are OK, but not as aligned with your sweet spot. Do the benefits of WFH still make it worth it? |
Anonymous
This is where I am too. I don't work from home 100% but in February I changed jobs and went from an hour commute to about 15 minutes. I don't love my job but I have a lot of flexibility. I have an office to go to but can work from home at will. |
Anonymous
I think this is key. You need to find a company whose culture supports remote work as just as valuable as non-remote work. Many companies allow WFH as a flexibility concession, but then you get a little pigeonholed (not allowed to supervise staff, etc), but finding companies with the right culture would not derail you at all. |