Would You Take A Pay Cut To Telecommute?
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According to an article over at CIO Insight, more than a third of IT workers in the United States would accept a pay cut to work from home.
If you had asked me this question last year, my answer would have been a resounding “no”; today I would have to give it serious consideration. With the cost of gasoline continuing to rise, commuting to work is becoming more and more expensive.
With a 65-mile commute to my office, being able to work from home saves me not only time but also a considerable amount of money. However, my current position already has a great deal of flexibility - I am working from home twice this week - so it would be difficult to take a pay cut.
When you really examine the option to work from home, I have a hard time justifying the need to take a pay cut in order to take advantage. The reason for this is because when setup properly, telecommuting can benefit both the employee and the company.
As an employee, the list of benefits include things such as:
- Cost savings - fuel, parking, tolls, wear-and-tear
- Increased productivity
- Reduced stress
Employers stand to benefit as well, including:
- Increased employee satisfaction
- Increased productivity
- Cost savings - office space, supplies, etc.
If telecommuting were a one-sided affair, I could understand the necessity for a pay cut. However, with the assumption that the quality of work does not change by telecommuting, an employer requiring a pay cut for an employee to work from home is simply taking advantage of the situation.
As mentioned earlier, I already have the flexibility to work from home, as well as the luxury of a compressed work week, so my opinions may be slightly jaded. Therefore I am interested to hear what you think about this question.
Assuming that your job lent itself to telecommuting, would you take a pay cut to telecommute?
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ABSOLUTELY! I suffer from the same scenario as you. I have a 70mile commute. I luckily only have to do that 3 days a week. (but I can’t say that makes me feel much better about the money I lose in my commute)
Strong Ones last blog post..Random Bloginess
Hm. I would never put myself in that situation, actually. Our house is 27 miles away from my work, and I rented a place 3 miles from work. I don’t think I would live a place that far from work, or vice versa. I guess it would be different if I actually have wife, kids, or real estate of my own…
But yeah, I’d calculate how much the pay cut is in comparison to the gas usage, and then go from there.
Kelvin Kaos last blog post..Editing Trick: How to Make Your Clock Go Crazy
I most definitely would be willing to take a pay cut to have the opportunity to work from home. A resounding Yes!
I don’t have a long commute to work, 20 minutes at the most, all city driving as opposed to highway, but the benefits of working from home far outweigh the effect of a pay cut. At least for me.
Lins last blog post..How to Be a Good Mother-In-Law
I would, although its not something relevant to me now. But I definitely would have before though.
Trishas last blog post..Equal Pay Act anniversary
I’ve been working from home since last October. Prior to that, my answer would’ve been YES in a heartbeat.
But — I think you have to mention that working from home is not for everyone. Some people are’t more productive, they’re less productive. My wife, for example, says she would be distracted too easily; she also thrives on personal interaction with her co-workers. She has no desire to work from home. I’m guessing there are plenty of others who feel the same way. Just not me.
Matt McGees last blog post..When the Web is a Small Business’s Enemy, pt. III
I agree with Kelvin that there should be some calculations first if the benefits offsets the pay cut.
Culturally, in Asia telecommuting is still not widely practised; maybe only in very small companies where there is trust for the employee.
On a slightly related note, you have been tagged
JLows last blog post..Why God made mums
I’ll see your ~60 mile commute and I’ll raise you my 110 mile commute - each way.
For 12 years now, I’ve been making ~2 hour drive in order to enable my much-better-half and 2 boys to live in rural Pennsylvania.
I doubt this would work for all, but it works for me. My company allows me to telecommute, on average, 1 day per week.
I am at least as productive at home as I am at the office, sometimes to the annoyance of my peers.
So would I take a pay cut to telecommute more often? Perhaps, but only if I could expense my mileage for the days I do go to the office.
Charlie on the PA Turnpikes last blog post..Celluloid Heroes
Yes! I actually started telecommuting and got a pay raise. Really this was because of changing employers. I would certainly change jobs and take a pay cut to telecommute if I thought I would enjoy the other job more. I would be reluctant to take a pay cut from an existing job to telecommute for the same job.
Like you said before, telecommuting has benefits for both the employer and the employee so it’s not really fair to pay less for the same amount of work. You will have more time to work in a day anyway without having to commute.
I’ve been telecommuting for about 2 years now and have recently changed jobs, still telecommuting, with a significant pay raise. I think once you show that you can be productive telecommuting while work with others who aren’t used to it, they realize its advantages. This helped me land a higher paying job with an employer that didn’t offer telecommuting before.
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That would be a definite YES from me. The amount of money that you can save from telecommuting is incredible. Not only do you save on gas, but you don’t necessarily need 2 cars in a family any more either. You can also move to a cheaper location and save much more.