Remote work rushed into American in 2020 and remains in many sectors with a simple promise: more flexibility, less commuting, and a better work-life balance. It’s not a surprise those perks emerged as a bargaining chip for labor unions. But are advocates for more workplace flexibility negotiating against their own job?
Remote work varies from sector to sector and job to job. Some can be effective remotely, many can’t. The problem with advocating for being an effective programmer, engineer, analyst or designer from your home office or living room – what’s stopping your company from hiring someone in a low cost of living state, or say, India to be as effective for a much lower wage.
The collaboration, culture, mentorship, training, trust, and the invisible connections that help organizations function well are irreplaceable. Recognizing this may be the key to long term job security. Forcing remote work, on the other hand, could push employers to find a replacement.
Look at a high-demand career like engineering, for example.
According to Indeed, the average engineer salary in the U.S. is $113,791. That’s well above the media U.S. household income of $83,730. It’s also a big cost for employers. An employer with 10,000 engineers at that average salary is looking at over $1 billion in overhead – before benefits. High quality engineers are seen as more of an investment than spending to most companies. But if the employees don’t want to come to work, alternatives will be explored.
The average engineer salary in India according to Indeed is ₹7,14,605, or $7,520 in U.S. dollars annually. While a rough comparison such as this could be called apples to oranges, you can still do the math. It would save a company a lot on overhead to outsource a portion of their workforce.
This is not a hypothetical scenario. In 2024, remote work was the core of an Alphabet Workers Union-CWA collective bargaining for Google Help Desk employees. More than half of the employees -- many of whom were engineers -- who formed that union were laid off, yet the remaining workers now have fully remote work.
Ok, maybe they call that win, but in early 2026, it was reported that Alphabet leased enough office space in Bengaluru, India to house up to 20,000 new staff. It is obvious what they are planning.
And while there are plenty of positive labor and economic indicators this year, the labor market isn’t exactly booming. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly two million Americans have been locked out of the job market for at least half a year. The Labor Department says that more than one quarter of all unemployed people in June are considered long-term unemployed -- 27 weeks or more.
Negotiating for more money and work-life balance is not a bad thing. But in uncertain times, keeping the paycheck you already have is worth a lot more than a better one you might not get.
Then there’s the issue of benefits. A job often brings more than salary. It can include health insurance, retirement contributions, paid leave, and other protections that are easy to ignore until they disappear.
None of this means remote work in the U.S. should or will disappear. For many roles, hybrid or remote arrangements can be a smart option. But everyone should stop pretending that remote work is a universal upgrade or a good bargaining chip in labor union negotiations. It may offer short-term gratification while creating long-term employment problems, including the possibility that demand for your skills is not as high as you thought.
The phrase “namaste” is used in India and the yoga community, as an expression of respectful greeting. Perhaps you’ve seen yogis donning a humorous t-shirt that says “namaste in bed.” Skilled workers and labor unions in the U.S. demanding remote work may need a shirt of their own: “namaste unemployed” when their job moves to India.
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