What’s better: $120,000 for a remote job or $240,000 in the office?
That question was first posed to the creator Tinx, who recounted it in a viral TikTok. The post now has over 5 million views, and a comments section of over 18,000 people debating RTOs and perks.
Remote work remains a flash point for workplace debate. Instagram ordered five days in office starting in February, and TikTok has a five-day RTO coming down soon, too. Other companies advertise their remote-first status in an effort to attract top talent.
Tinx made her stance clear: take the extra money.
“What do you guys think goes on at the office?” she asked. “It’s not that scary.”
Some popular comments disagree. “$120k remote any day. My mental health is more important,” reads one comment.
“The office is THAT bad,” another reads.
The video also led to a load of spin-off TikToks, where creators make their case for one job or another.
“Be serious,” creator Toni Childs said. “That’s a $70,000 difference after taxes. That’s what you’re giving up.”
TikToker Rai Tryna also said to accept the $240,00: “You can put yourself so far ahead, just by working at that job a couple more years.”
McKenzie Mark said that she would take the $120,000 remote role. Mark said she works in tech as a fully remote employee making $118,000, and has gotten offers that would bring her pay to $250,000.
“Working remote is not something I’m willing to compromise on,” Mark said. “I was able to fully sell my car and become a one-car household with my partner, who also works remote.”
Chanelle Howell agreed: “You’d have to pay me so much more money than 240 to be in-office five days a week.”
The debate also migrated to X. When Lindsay Stamp posted about it, her comments were flooded with opposing takes. “Take that extra money and buy your freedom in half the time,” wrote one commenter. “Yep. Remote,” wrote another.
For parents, remote work may also be more highly valued for the flexibility it brings for childcare duties. One creator said that choosing the $120,000 option should only apply to those who “two or more kids under the age of four.”
“If i was single, I’d take the 240,” Kaylin Patschke commented on Tinx’s video. “As a working mom, i’d take the 120.”
A possible generational divide
In her original TikTok, Tinx also said that she could immediately guess the questioner’s age: Gen Z. The office may do the generation some good, she said.
“It’ll make you all less weird,” Tinx said.
Gen Z’s social awkwardness has long been a topic of debate on the internet. In July, the “Gen Z Stare” went viral on TikTok, showcasing the wide-eyed look some young people give in public when responding to basic small talk.
Is Gen Z really that against in-office work? It depends on who you ask.
Some Gen Zers are gravitating toward remote jobs, such as customer service, with their promise of a better work-life balance. Business Insider’s Juliana Kaplan, who is a member of Gen Z herself, wrote that she found the pre-pandemic 9-to-5 job “soul-crushing.”
But many are actually desperate to get to their cubicle. Gen Z workers from Goldman Sachs and Google told Business Insider that they wanted to work in person. Some young people have gone back to the office, only to find their managers working remotely. And, who knows — they might even fall in love in the office.
Which would you choose? Take our poll!
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