Most jobs paying $100,000 or more are banning remote work

Remote work now makes up just 9% of six-figure career opportunities, with in-person roles accounting for the remaining 89% of high-paying jobs. That’s according to a recent report, which also identified that in the U.S., the percentage of high-paying roles of $100,000 or more, which are available to work on a hybrid schedule, fell 40% during the first quarter of 2024,

The figures are supported by recent data which found that U.S. companies are now offering on average $82,037 for in-person roles, compared to hybrid’s average of $59,992, which is a difference of more than $22,000. The numbers also show that fully remote roles pay $75,327 on average – a significant amount under that $100,000 figure.

That is despite a study by Boston Consulting Group and Scoop Technologies, which analyzed data from 554 public companies across 20 sectors, and discovered that organizations with generous remote work policies perform better when it comes to revenue growth.

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That won’t come as too much of a surprise to the 23% of U.S. workers who said in a recent study that they would prefer to do most of their work remotely, or the 29% who said they preferred hybrid work.

But bosses want people back in the office, often for command and control reasons, often reasoning that if they can see workers at their desks, then they must be working hard. JPMorgan Chase’s CEO Jamie Dimon said in 2023, for example, that there are “serious weaknesses” with virtual work, including slowed decision-making and a lack of “spontaneous learning and creativity”.

Dell has taken this further, telling employees that if they want to stay fully remote, they won’t be eligible to apply for new positions at the company, or receive promotions.

No productivity gain

But a recent study from the University of Pittsburgh has found that being back at the office is actually no better for productivity. The study’s lead, Mark Shuai Ma, an associate professor of business administration from Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business, offers an analysis.

“One of the most common arguments management suggests is that they want to return to office because employee productivity is low at home, and they believe returns to office would help firms improve performance and ultimately improve the firm’s value. That’s the reason they give – but our results actually do not support these arguments.”

Regardless, numerous companies are taking advantage of a lean post-pandemic labor environment, and as a result, Starbucks, General Motors, Disney, Walmart and United Parcel Service are just some firms that have reversed a previous position on remote working.

Further bad news for fans of remote work has come in the form of an analysis of data from two million workers by employment data provider Live Data Technologies. It found that remote workers were promoted 31% less frequently than those who worked physically in the office. This included both full-time in-office, and those hybrid workers who come in a couple of days a week. The data also revealed that in 2023, only 3.9% of remote workers were promoted, compared to 5.6% of in-office workers.

Proximity bias

This all adds up to what is called “proximity bias”, where bosses tend to favor those who are in the office, and gloss over the achievements of those working remotely – purely because they simply don’t see them as often. Being seen at work tends to result in positive outcomes for employees, but for remote-loving cohorts such as women who have additional caregiving responsibilities or those with disabilities, it can be additionally penalizing.

Another study from Alliance Virtual Offices found that remote workers have worse performance reviews, and don’t advance as quickly as their office-working peers. It found that remote workers are 38% less likely to receive bonuses, will work nearly double the overtime of their in-office peers, and that hybrid workers typically earn 23% more than those working fully remote.

Ultimately, in 2024’s hiring environment, if you want a high-paying job you’ll likely have to embrace the commute. But, if a flexible schedule and better work-life balance is what you really crave, then it could be time to accept that this may well come with a drop in salary.

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