Took a pay cut for a remote job and now I'm wondering if I messed up

I had a choice 4 months ago: stay at my office job making $62,000 a year in Charlotte or take a remote gig for $55,000 with no commute. I picked the remote one because I hated the 45 minute drive every day. But now my new boss expects me to be available at all hours and I'm actually working more hours than before. Anyone else taken a pay cut for flexibility and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas2911mo agoTop Commenter

Tbh that's a tough spot and I've been there. The key is setting hard boundaries early on, like blocking off your calendar after 5pm and not answering messages past that time. If your boss pushes back, remind them you took a pay cut specifically for work life balance, not to be on call 24/7. You might need to have an honest conversation about expectations, otherwise the extra hours will eat up any savings from ditching the commute.

tara_mitchell1mo ago

You took a pay cut so maybe you should actually work harder to prove it was worth keeping you.