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Topics: Coronavirus, Money, News
Poppy Bilderbeck
A woman has spoken out after quitting her six-figure salary job after they said they'd require employees to return to the office full-time.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic - rules and regulations limiting social contact and the ability for people to leave their homes - many businesses had to adapt and move online to remote working conditions.
Despite restrictions having since been eased - the world slowly coming out the other side of the global health crisis - some companies have continued to allow employees to fully work from home or have adopted a hybrid model style of working.
Administrator Felicia's office supported a hybrid working model for a year-and-a-half, which allowed her to work two days in the office and three days at home, however, she was recently told by her work she must return to the office five days a week.
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Felicia was sitting in traffic on her way to work, stressed about potentially running late for a meeting when she questioned: "Why am I doing this to myself when it's not even necessary?"
The 53-year-old from Arizona told Insider: "I know how to do my job. I don't need to be in an office to do my work. I just knew I didn't want to go back to what it felt like before.
"I found that I got a lot more work done when I was working the hybrid days.
"[...] I just got to the point where it just wasn't working for me. And I walked away from over a $100,000-per-year (£80,000-per-year) salary to seek positions that have hybrid options so that I can have that work-life balance."
Felicia also notes she would often end up overworking if required to go into the office, having to finish work for 'hours' upon her return home because of the 'distractions and interruptions' in the workplace.
But that's not to say the administrator didn't still work to her full potential during hybrid working at home.
"I heard a lot [among the company's managers], 'Oh, you guys were only working two days per week and off for three'.
"And it's like, no, that is not true. We got most of our work done when we were working the three at home," she explains.
Felicia is now on the hunt for another administrative role but will only apply or accept a job offer if the company supports hybrid working - even if it means she's paid less.
She resolves: "The payoff is the driving and the traffic and the stress of being on the road five days per week versus being able to do the very same work and more from the convenience of the hybrid option."
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