Remote Now, On-Site Later

Taylor received an offer for a job that stipulated fully remote work until the fall of 2021, at which time the company would ask employees to come into its Delaware office a few days per week. If he accepted, Taylor would have to move his family from Ohio to meet this requirement.

A January 2021 PwC survey revealed that the majority of executives believe employees should be in the office between three and five days per week to maintain a strong office culture. And 75% of executives anticipate that at least half of office employees will be working on-site by July 2021. People who moved away from their work location during the pandemic, or were hired fully remote, may be asked to show up soon—and that could mean becoming a resident of a different state.

Most workers haven’t faced a situation where they’re asked to start a job in one place and then move to a different place down the line. Here are our tips for managing the shift.

Know what you should get in terms of salary.

Many salary offers are adjusted for cost of living. What should you do when you know you’ll live in two different places with two different costs of living and tax rates? Career experts recommend doing your research on both places. If the offer comes in at market rates for where you are currently, include your research as part of the negotiations. “It may be worth negotiating a pay adjustment that takes hold when they need you in the office,” says Frances Weir, a career coach at Korn Ferry Advance.

Figure out when to make your move.

It’s important to nail down an on-site start date with your potential employer. One benefit of starting remotely and moving later is that you may be able to stay put until a child’s school year ends, a lease expires, or you complete other commitments you want to see through. Career experts say to ask whether you’ll be put up for a while, in which case you may want to move before your start date, to get to know the area and figure out where you want to live.

Ask for a relocation package up-front.

The time to negotiate for relocation benefits is when you’re discussing the job offer. Ask the recruiter or hiring manager which components of the move are included in the company’s relocation budget, and whether they'll pay up-front or if you’ll need to cover costs and expense them later. Some companies will accept invoices directly from suppliers they already use, and some will let you apply for a company credit card pre-move.

When adding up moving fees, think about travel for yourself plus your family, shipping and potential storage of furniture, the number of days you’ll need to spend in a furnished rental apartment until you can find your own place to live, and even broker’s fees or a rental deposit. “Know what you want, and what you’ll budge on if necessary,” Weir says.

If you integrate with the team remotely, it’ll be easier in person.

It can be hard to get to know your coworkers when you start remotely, but don’t discount the power of technology to help you find your place on the team and even form friendships. As soon as you’re hired, be sure to add your new colleagues on LinkedIn so you can match faces to names. To speed up the integration process, schedule one-on-one video calls and find opportunities to collaborate.

Once you’re back in the office, you may have to skip handshakes and talk behind masks, but take advantage of the watercooler chit-chat to follow up on something you talked about or accomplished as a remote team. “It may take a while for people to figure out the new rules of interaction,” Weir says. “Be ready to take things slowly.”