The executives at this company are unrealistic with their expectation of Gen Z and other employees to be able to afford a hybrid work situation. GPJ has 5 offices in the USA - Boston, NYC, Austin, Detroit, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The current, and very strict, policy is twice a week in-office (hybrid). Management is paying lower level full-time employees $56,000 - $65,000 a year. It's unfair to expect these young employees to have a healthy or stable life, or to be able to save money for emergencies or large purchases, while living in one of these major cities. Average rent in these cities is $1,500 or more. Rent, for me, is 50% of my salary. And that doesn't include food, utilities, or other cost-of-living expenses. I want to start a family, and this income, while living within appropriate driving range to one these cities, will not allow me to buy a house or start a family. Expecting employees to either live in a major city OR commute 2-4+ hours a day WILL result in high turnover. I don't see a good business outcome for GPJ if they continue to expect all employees to live in major US cities to fulfill their hybrid requirement if they continue paying the salaries they are currently paying. The pay gap is widening too much between lower level employees and executives, and unfortunately, it doesn't seem like GPJ is in touch with the changing times, economy, and evolving cultural values, such as working from home full time, which is a major priority for most US employees and Gen Z.
