Why Remote Workers Are Getting Pay Cuts

Companies are doing everything in their power to prevent their employees from working remotely, even if that means docking their pay. Candidates are passionate about the benefit to work remotely, and we are seeing tons of people quitting jobs to pursue permanent remote work. One of the most recent changes we have seen to the current job market is Google’s decision to cut the pay of remote workers.

Google has announced that they are going to cut remote worker’s salaries by up to 15%.  The pay cut varies by location, but employees were given a calculator to determine the potential loss of pay they could lose by choosing to work remotely. This pay cut will not only affect new employees, but current workers choosing to work remotely instead of on-site. 

Unfortunately, Google is not the only company to make this pay change. Other companies in Silicon Valley, like Facebook and Twitter, have begun to cut remote workers’ salaries based on location. One of the biggest issues with this is that other companies up to Google And Facebook for healthy company culture, but deducting pay for remote work could, unfortunately, become a new norm. 

These large monopolies set a precedent for the American workers – you work hard, and you reap the benefits of the American dream. With only a year into the pandemic, companies are doing whatever they can to prevent their workers from working remotely. 

As in the recent news over the past month, another tech giant, Apple, is requiring that workers transition into a hybrid schedule, no matter the current state of their vaccination. Hundreds of workers wrote a statement back to the company explaining that they want to continue to work remotely, but Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, refused their request. 

When these tech conglomerates originally started, the emphasis was on positive company culture. The truth is finally unraveling. These companies care much more about revenue than the overall happiness and well-being of their employees. 

What these companies are failing to realize is the continual rise of the Delta variant and COVID-19. Recently announced by Astra Zenica, herd immunity will never be able to be reached for the coronavirus. They discovered that vaccinated individuals pass on COVID-19 to unvaccinated individuals. Not to mention the waning effectiveness of vaccines over time, like Pfizer, and individuals getting the Delta variant even if vaccinated. 

Companies need to reevaluate their return to the office and docking the pay of remote employees because the coronavirus pandemic is continuing to worsen, even if we chose to ignore it. The ethics of returning to work and reducing pay during the pandemic is questionable for these companies. 

Overall, companies should continue to encourage remote work because it is to benefit everyone’s health. Companies need to listen to the wants and needs of their employees.