Revolutionize Your Paycheck: The Surprising Skill That Could Lead to a 2025 Salary Boost
Would you swap your comfy work-from-home pants for a commute and office attire if you’d get a pay bump?
A Salary Boost by Being Willing to Work in Person
That’s the question more job hunters should be asking themselves, as a new report finds you may be able to negotiate a salary boost by offering to work a remote or hybrid job in person. Two-thirds of managers in the recently released salary guide from human resources firm Robert Half said they are “willing” to raise starting salaries for remote jobs if new hires are open to working in the office.
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The Potential Payoff
The findings aren’t necessarily going to be music to the ears of all job seekers given that many Americans are still seeking out the flexibility of remote-work life. But that’s exactly why offering to go in person can give you a competitive edge in salary negotiations.
Not Just Any Salary Increase, But a Significant One
The potential pay bumps aren’t insignificant, either: 59% say they’ll offer employees up to a 20% salary increase to be onsite 4 to 5 days a week. (These results are based on a June survey of 2,500 hiring managers across several professional fields.)
A Balance to be Drawn
Job applicants have to weigh the potential salary bump against the higher costs associated with in-office work. One survey from Owl Labs found that working at the office can come at a $5,000 per year premium versus remote work. That sum includes direct expenses such as driving-related costs like gas, vehicle depreciation, tolls, parking, and transit fares, as well as other less obvious things like our tendencies to spend more on lunches out with coworkers and increased shopping budgets for work clothes.
A Negotiating Tactic
Still, depending on your personal situation, a 20% or more salary increase could easily offset any additional costs you’d incur by going in — so it’s certainly something to consider. Robert Half reports that being open to working in person is among its top tips in 2025 to increase your salary, along with other strategies like researching typical salary ranges for the position and adding professional certifications to your resume. “Be open to more in-office work, which allows for face-to-face interaction with colleagues and in-person training and upskilling,” the firm said in the release.
Workers are Still Resisting In-Office Work
The return-to-office debate is still raging on four and a half years after the pandemic began. The latest debacle is at Amazon, where the corporate office is facing backlash for the tech giant’s mandate for in-office work.
