Your company’s forcing you back to the office and you’re ready to quit. Here’s how to prep your finances first
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Lily and her husband decided to leave Brooklyn after they had their first child. Their apartment was too cramped and her brother had a vacation home available for them in a town two hours north of New York.
They closed the sale of their property in late summer 2024, and Lily’s work told her they were fine with her commuting to their Midtown office twice a week.
But the mood shifted in 2025. Suddenly, management started talking about the value of in-person office attendance. Lily says she knew in the back of her mind that remote work — which was largely adopted during the pandemic — wouldn’t last forever. But she began to panic as signs started showing that she would need to spend four hours a day, at least four days a week, commuting into the office.
Should Lily quit preemptively or try to negotiate? Here’s how to set your money and your plan before the memo hits your inbox.
As early as 2021, many large companies — particularly in tech and banking — began asking employees to come into the office at least two days a week. Those calls are getting louder in 2025. Major employers, including Microsoft, NBCUniversal, Paramount and JPMorgan Chase, have all ordered employees back to the office. Paramount and JPMorgan have even implemented mandates requiring employees in office five days a week.
According to a report from Jones Lang LaSalle, 54% of Fortune 100 employees are required to be in the office five days a week — a sharp jump from just 5% reported in 2022, and the number is expected to keep rising, even among smaller companies (1). One survey of 849 managers found that 80% of companies are tightening return-to-office (RTO) policies, and 30% plan to phase out remote work by the end of the year (2).
The federal government has also taken a stand on in-office work since the beginning of the Trump administration. In January 2025, the White House ordered executive agencies to end remote work and bring employees back full-time, with limited exemptions (3). Follow-up guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) outlined how agencies should implement the order.
Why are employers pushing for RTO? Executives often cite team cohesion, faster problem-solving and informal learning.
“Being together greatly enhances mentoring, learning, brainstorming and getting things done. It accelerates decision-making and offers valuable opportunities for spontaneous learning and creativity,” JPMorgan wrote in its return-to-work memo (4). “It also allows our early career professionals to learn through our apprenticeship model and expand their networks by building connections with peers across the firm.”
A group of researchers from Stanford, the University of Hong Kong and Peking University found that hybrid work had no negative effects on performance. In fact, it boosted job satisfaction and reduced quitting rates — especially among non-managers, women and employees with long commutes (5).
If you’re like Lily, moving again to shorten your commute might feel too disruptive or too expensive right now. If quitting seems inevitable, remember that you control the timing. Use the lead-up ahead of an RTO mandate to build a financial cushion, protect your benefits and line up your next job.
Aim to save three to six months of essential expenses while you still have a steady income. Start adjusting your budget now — small cuts compound into a real runway later. You will also want to make sure the money you save is being put to work in a high-interest account.
Parking your cash in a high-yield account can significantly boost your savings and keep you on course to reach your financial goals. These accounts offer interest rates that are often 10 to 12 times higher than the national average for traditional savings accounts, which currently stands at around 0.41%.
One option you can consider is SoFi’s high-yield account, where you can [earn up to 4.30% APY] (https://moneywise.com/c/1/236/1888?placement=2). Plus, SoFi charges no account, monthly or overdraft fees.
The best part? You can get up to $300 when you sign up with SoFi and set up a direct deposit.
Make sure you don’t get stuck without coverage. Compare Continuation of Health Coverage (COBRA) with an Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plan and map out your enrollment windows in advance. You typically have a limited period to elect COBRA or choose a Marketplace plan. Estimate premiums and potential tax credits in advance so you’re not scrambling after you resign and your coverage changes.
If you’re looking for a simple way to compare coverage, U65 Health Insurance can help. Regardless of any pre-existing conditions, it lets you quickly compare rates and features of health insurance policies from reputable providers.
Just enter your ZIP code, age and household income — and within five minutes, U65 will display quotes from providers near you. You can compare policies and coverage by providers — including Aetna, Kaiser, Anthem, Oscar Health and more — all for free, helping you make an informed decision about your future.
Read your benefits documents and plan your exit with key dates in mind, so that any potential bonuses, equity vesting or 401(k) matches are posted before you give notice. Review your paid time off policy to see whether you should use your remaining days, or if you will receive a payout when you leave.
Ask HR whether the company offers transition packages for RTO departures — some teams may trade a firm end date for a smooth knowledge handoff.
It could also be useful to meet with a qualified financial advisor to make sure you’re equipped to manage the transition.
Finding the right advisor is simple with Advisor.com. Their platform connects you with licensed financial professionals in your area who can provide personalized guidance.
A professional advisor can also help you determine how many years you have left to invest before retirement and assess your comfort level with market fluctuations—two key factors in building the right asset mix for your portfolio.
Plan as if you will not qualify for unemployment benefits, as voluntary resignations usually don’t count. Ahead of leaving, research your state’s rules so that your savings goals and transition timeline are based on realistic assumptions.
Another way to be conservative with your spending is to cut back on unnecessary expenses — like monthly subscriptions you may have entirely forgotten about.
Rocket Money can help streamline that process. The platform offers simple expense tracking and categorization, providing a clear view of your cash, credit and investments all in one place. It can even uncover forgotten subscriptions, helping you cut unnecessary costs and save potentially hundreds annually.
The RTO pressure is real, even though strong evidence shows hybrid work can boost performance and retention. If remote work is non-negotiable for you, treat the timing of your exit like a professional project. Build your cash reserves, lock in health coverage, understand unemployment rules and run a focused job search.
You might not control your company’s policies, but you can control how and when you walk away — so make sure your finances are ready when you do.
