June 4, 2025 • 8 mins
Greg Giangrande joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about jobs forcing workers to come back into the office after being hired as remote workers and what that means for the workers.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ah.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Greg g and Grande has a great topic this week.
He's the career advice expert. You can check him out
at go to Greg dot com. You can ask your
questions there, go to Greg dot com. It's something that
every company and a whole lot of employees are dealing
with because everybody, especially after the pandemic, got used to
working remotely. But what happens, and it's happening more and more.
(00:22):
I've heard about it every single day. What happens when
they say come back to work, Greg g and Grande.
I know that's happening at places that you've dealt with,
And I know what I'm dealing with right now, and
I know what's happening around the country. How are employees
reacting to this?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, it's probably the last issue on this topic of
work arrangements that we'll be dealing with. Ever since COVID,
I've said very publicly and loudly that we will settle
into hybrid being the new norm. So that's not going
to be special, it's not going to be news. It's
(01:04):
just going to be the new way of life for
most corporate jobs. The issue, though, is still the transition.
If you were hired and worked in the office prior
to moving to a hybrid in the office part time,
and then you went you know, remote, and then are
(01:26):
asked to come back. That's one issue. But if you
were hired to be fully remote and now you're being
asked to come into the office, it's a separate issue
because the first time you were hired and paid like
you were going to be coming into the office every day,
and we presume that when you accept a job like that,
(01:47):
you are factoring in all of your costs for commuting
and wardrobe and meals and things like that, and then
you make a decision that you'll accept that salary for
that job. However, and this is where the real issue is.
For employers who hired people to be fully remote and
now they're saying we want you to come into the office,
(02:08):
it's a completely different calculus because it is in effect
a pay cut if they're not going to offer you
more compensation. Now you have to deal with all the
costs of coming into communing and to work too with
three days a week, including you know, potentially childcare, pet care,
whatever it is. And that's a and that's an issue.
But most employers are not offering additional compensation.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Most employers are not offering additional compensation, even if you
took the job and the understanding was you were going
to work from home. Most employers don't.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
That.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Most employers are not and there are a couple of
reasons for that. One is, most employers are not looking
to add costs, and then quietly, behind the scenes, they're
making their own calculus of hey, whoever doesn't want to
come back on these terms, Okay, well then it doesn't.
(03:07):
It makes it easier for me to trim my costs
and make some changes in personnel without me having to
do a layoff or fire people. Now you would, though,
have a legitimate claim for unemployment because the terms and
conditions of your employment have materially changed. So even if
you were forced to resign as a result, because the
(03:30):
new working condition isn't conducive to you, know, your life,
or the costs are too great, you could collect unemployment
for that even though you weren't fired.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
This is a fascinating, a fascinating topic right now, because
I know so many people that are dealing with this
exact same thing. How do you even bring it up?
I mean, if now you're used to working remotely and
all of a sudden they say, no, you've got to
come in three days a week, or you have to
come in two days a week. How do you comfortably
(04:02):
bring up, Well, that's going to cost me some money.
I need to be reimbursed for that.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Well, every employer recognizes this, so it's not it's just
having the courage to to say what's unspoken and that
is the truth. And if you are a highly valued employee,
then you probably have some negotiating leverage if they don't
(04:30):
want to lose you. I would just have the conversation
with your boss and say, this is the reality. Right.
I accepted this job on these compensation terms with the
assumption that I wouldn't have to be commuting three days
a week and all the expenses that are associated with
me not working from home. This changes the equation. I
(04:52):
love my job, I love the company. I certainly don't
want to leave. But can we talk about some a
jus meant to compensate for that? Just be direct and straightforward.
It won't be a shock to any manager or any employer,
or a surprise that that you raised it. You can
(05:14):
only be turned down. That's the worst that can happen.
But if you don't ask, then you're definitely not getting it.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And at that point, do you need to make your
decision in your mind if that's a deal breaker and
I'm going to walk away.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I wouldn't. I wouldn't reveal your cards. You might make
that decision, but I would just keep saying to your
employer that this is very challenging for me. Do not
say things like, well, if you don't compensate me, I'm
going to have to leave, because technically that's a resignation,
(05:49):
and you don't want you don't want to resign under
those circumstances. You want the employer to force the issue.
So I would just keep saying, well, this is a
change in material change in the terms and conditions of
my employment. I'm really disappointed.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I really love being here and I love my job,
and I will I will have to continue evaluating, you
know what this means and whether or not I can
make this work without threatening or saying that what.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
You will do if they don't make a change, So
you way to have a conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
If you don't quit and you don't want to go,
you don't want to live by their rules, and you
just stay at home, do you do you Is that
like you're staying at home as a protest until they
fire you.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Well, now that's different, because now that's a willful, willful misconduct.
You are willfully disobeying a company directive, in which case
you could get fired for cause. No. Eventually, if they
force you into coming back, then you can resign. And
then you you can and say I can't do it,
(07:01):
and they will say, well, I'm sorry, you can't continue
your job, and technically that's a resignation and then you
can collect unemployment. But I would start looking for a
job before push king schev. Just just.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, it's a fac I know so many people in
similar situations, including my son. I know this is going
to have to be dealt with more and more and
more and more. And what was extremely valuable with what
you just said. And you play this game. I shouldn't
call it a game, but but you are. You are
(07:37):
giving people great advice on what they should say, because
if you say the wrong thing, that means you've either
resigned or you're fired, and one of the other may
determine whether you get unemployment benefits.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Right, yeah, exactly. And if you are an early career
person and you can afford to come back back into
the office without getting a compensation adjustment, you can actually
make ends meet. I would do it because having the
job and the experience and getting the experience actually working
(08:11):
with other people is not healthy for early career people
to never experience working in an office alongside other people
with the boss Gallia, so it would be worth the
trade off.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Greg g and Grande career advice expert. Check him out
at go to Greg dot com. Thanks so much, Greg,
Ah.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Greg g and Grande has a great topic this week.
He's the career advice expert. You can check him out
at go to Greg dot com. You can ask your
questions there, go to Greg dot com. It's something that
every company and a whole lot of employees are dealing
with because everybody, especially after the pandemic, got used to
working remotely. But what happens, and it's happening more and more.
(00:22):
I've heard about it every single day. What happens when
they say come back to work, Greg g and Grande.
I know that's happening at places that you've dealt with,
And I know what I'm dealing with right now, and
I know what's happening around the country. How are employees
reacting to this?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, it's probably the last issue on this topic of
work arrangements that we'll be dealing with. Ever since COVID,
I've said very publicly and loudly that we will settle
into hybrid being the new norm. So that's not going
to be special, it's not going to be news. It's
(01:04):
just going to be the new way of life for
most corporate jobs. The issue, though, is still the transition.
If you were hired and worked in the office prior
to moving to a hybrid in the office part time,
and then you went you know, remote, and then are
(01:26):
asked to come back. That's one issue. But if you
were hired to be fully remote and now you're being
asked to come into the office, it's a separate issue
because the first time you were hired and paid like
you were going to be coming into the office every day,
and we presume that when you accept a job like that,
(01:47):
you are factoring in all of your costs for commuting
and wardrobe and meals and things like that, and then
you make a decision that you'll accept that salary for
that job. However, and this is where the real issue is.
For employers who hired people to be fully remote and
now they're saying we want you to come into the office,
(02:08):
it's a completely different calculus because it is in effect
a pay cut if they're not going to offer you
more compensation. Now you have to deal with all the
costs of coming into communing and to work too with
three days a week, including you know, potentially childcare, pet care,
whatever it is. And that's a and that's an issue.
But most employers are not offering additional compensation.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Most employers are not offering additional compensation, even if you
took the job and the understanding was you were going
to work from home. Most employers don't.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
That.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Most employers are not and there are a couple of
reasons for that. One is, most employers are not looking
to add costs, and then quietly, behind the scenes, they're
making their own calculus of hey, whoever doesn't want to
come back on these terms, Okay, well then it doesn't.
(03:07):
It makes it easier for me to trim my costs
and make some changes in personnel without me having to
do a layoff or fire people. Now you would, though,
have a legitimate claim for unemployment because the terms and
conditions of your employment have materially changed. So even if
you were forced to resign as a result, because the
(03:30):
new working condition isn't conducive to you, know, your life,
or the costs are too great, you could collect unemployment
for that even though you weren't fired.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
This is a fascinating, a fascinating topic right now, because
I know so many people that are dealing with this
exact same thing. How do you even bring it up?
I mean, if now you're used to working remotely and
all of a sudden they say, no, you've got to
come in three days a week, or you have to
come in two days a week. How do you comfortably
(04:02):
bring up, Well, that's going to cost me some money.
I need to be reimbursed for that.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Well, every employer recognizes this, so it's not it's just
having the courage to to say what's unspoken and that
is the truth. And if you are a highly valued employee,
then you probably have some negotiating leverage if they don't
(04:30):
want to lose you. I would just have the conversation
with your boss and say, this is the reality. Right.
I accepted this job on these compensation terms with the
assumption that I wouldn't have to be commuting three days
a week and all the expenses that are associated with
me not working from home. This changes the equation. I
(04:52):
love my job, I love the company. I certainly don't
want to leave. But can we talk about some a
jus meant to compensate for that? Just be direct and straightforward.
It won't be a shock to any manager or any employer,
or a surprise that that you raised it. You can
(05:14):
only be turned down. That's the worst that can happen.
But if you don't ask, then you're definitely not getting it.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
And at that point, do you need to make your
decision in your mind if that's a deal breaker and
I'm going to walk away.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
I wouldn't. I wouldn't reveal your cards. You might make
that decision, but I would just keep saying to your
employer that this is very challenging for me. Do not
say things like, well, if you don't compensate me, I'm
going to have to leave, because technically that's a resignation,
(05:49):
and you don't want you don't want to resign under
those circumstances. You want the employer to force the issue.
So I would just keep saying, well, this is a
change in material change in the terms and conditions of
my employment. I'm really disappointed.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I really love being here and I love my job,
and I will I will have to continue evaluating, you
know what this means and whether or not I can
make this work without threatening or saying that what.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
You will do if they don't make a change, So
you way to have a conversation.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
If you don't quit and you don't want to go,
you don't want to live by their rules, and you
just stay at home, do you do you Is that
like you're staying at home as a protest until they
fire you.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Well, now that's different, because now that's a willful, willful misconduct.
You are willfully disobeying a company directive, in which case
you could get fired for cause. No. Eventually, if they
force you into coming back, then you can resign. And
then you you can and say I can't do it,
(07:01):
and they will say, well, I'm sorry, you can't continue
your job, and technically that's a resignation and then you
can collect unemployment. But I would start looking for a
job before push king schev. Just just.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Yeah, it's a fac I know so many people in
similar situations, including my son. I know this is going
to have to be dealt with more and more and
more and more. And what was extremely valuable with what
you just said. And you play this game. I shouldn't
call it a game, but but you are. You are
(07:37):
giving people great advice on what they should say, because
if you say the wrong thing, that means you've either
resigned or you're fired, and one of the other may
determine whether you get unemployment benefits.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Right, yeah, exactly. And if you are an early career
person and you can afford to come back back into
the office without getting a compensation adjustment, you can actually
make ends meet. I would do it because having the
job and the experience and getting the experience actually working
(08:11):
with other people is not healthy for early career people
to never experience working in an office alongside other people
with the boss Gallia, so it would be worth the
trade off.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Greg g and Grande career advice expert. Check him out
at go to Greg dot com. Thanks so much, Greg,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.