The exact change
"When I moved from NYC to a lower cost-of-living city for family reasons, my employer reduced my salary by 22% and framed it as 'adjusting to local market rates.' My output did not change. My responsibilities did not change. My compensation went down $35,000 annually. I did not have the knowledge to negotiate this proactively." - Software engineer reflecting on a relocation | Reference: Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2022). How Hybrid Work From Home Works Out. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 28731.
Consider an engineer who relocates from a high cost-of-living city to a lower cost-of-living city for family reasons and finds that their employer reduces salary and frames it as 'adjusting to local market rates,' even though their output and responsibilities have not changed. Without prior knowledge of how location-based pay policies work, it is easy to accept this kind of adjustment without negotiating it proactively. | Reference corrected to: Barrero, J. M., Bloom, N., & Davis, S. J. (2021). Why Working from Home Will Stick. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 28731.
Suggested change
Converted the quote to a generic illustrative example; corrected the NBER citation to the real paper's actual title and authors.
Why this is better
Converted an anonymous unverified quote with included an unverified dollar/percentage figures into a generic illustrative example; corrected a mismatched NBER Working Paper 28731 citation to the real paper's actual title and authors, verified via web search.
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