Yeah, you’re absolutely right the remote work is a privilege, not a free pass. When someone negotiates that kind of setup, especially with a pay cut, it’s still an agreement based on trust and performance. Employers are usually fine with people working from wherever as long as the output doesn’t suffer. But once it does, they start pulling people back in.

It’s interesting too, because a 30% pay cut is no joke, personally for me I just can’t 😂😂😂, that’s a big chunk to give up for the trade-off of flexibility and a better work-life balance. But if someone ends up partying more, starting late, or just generally slacking, it’s kind of self-defeating. It ruins the trust not just for them, but it makes companies more hesitant to offer that kind of deal to others.

And yeah, in cities where commutes are brutal and cost of living is insane, remote work makes a lot of sense. But if people don’t handle it responsibly, they might end up forcing the pendulum to swing back the other way, which sucks for everyone else who’s making it work.

Personally me I would also consider doing something similar but always for a short while then get back to office, occasionally but not permanently.