Six months ago I left a job I mostly liked because they went to 4 days in-office and I wasn't willing to do it. Here's what I actually think now.
Some context: I transitioned out of the military into a tech operations role. Remote work wasn't just a preference, it was genuinely important to me for a routine that works with my health situation. When the mandate came down, I had already been fully remote for 2 years and producing well by every metric I could see.
I tried to negotiate. My manager was sympathetic but said her hands were tied. I asked HR, got the same. The offer of exception was 1 day per week remote, which felt like a consolation prize when I'd been fully remote the whole time.
So I started looking. Took about 3 months. Landed at a company that was remote-first, smaller, slightly lower total comp but within a range I could live with.
Six months in: a few real thoughts.
Good: I don't think about the commute. The new company's async culture is better. My manager is in a different city, so remote is just normal. I feel more in control.
Hard: the new role had a steeper learning curve than I expected. The old company had tribal knowledge I didn't know I was relying on. I also miss some of my old colleagues. There's a relationship cost to switching that doesn't show up in the offer comparison.
Was it worth it. Yes. But I went in thinking the grass was greener and it's more like the grass is the same color but my house is in a better neighborhood. The remote policy was the thing I needed to fix and I fixed it. Everything else is just a new set of tradeoffs.
If you're weighing this: be clear on the specific thing that's broken. If it's the location policy, switching might fix it. If it's the culture or management, a new job with the same location flexibility might just have different problems.