Company ending remote work with 2 weeks notice - is this legal?

I've been working fully remote for a tech company for 3 years. Was hired as remote from day one. Today they announced that everyone needs to be in the office 5 days a week starting Dec 17th (2 weeks from now).

I live in Austin and the office is in San Francisco. They're saying I either relocate or resign. No severance mentioned.

Can they really just change the terms like this with two weeks notice? Don't I have any recourse here?

This is happening everywhere. Meta, Amazon, now smaller companies following suit. It sucks but from what I understand, unless you have a contract guaranteeing remote work, they can do this.

Same thing happened at my last company. About 30% of people quit rather than relocate.

Unfortunately, in most at-will employment situations, the company can change the terms of your employment with or without notice, as long as the change isn't discriminatory or retaliatory.

Key questions to determine if you have leverage:

• Do you have a written employment contract that specifies remote work?
• Was remote work mentioned in your offer letter or employee handbook as a guaranteed benefit?
• Are you in an at-will state? (Texas is at-will)
• Is this being applied uniformly or only to certain employees?

If you're at-will without a contract guaranteeing remote work, they can require you to work from the office. However, forcing you to choose between relocation and resignation could potentially qualify you for unemployment benefits in some states.

My offer letter says "This is a remote position" and lists my location as Austin, TX. Does that count as a guarantee?

No formal employment contract beyond the offer letter. Definitely at-will.

That's potentially helpful but probably not determinative. Courts generally look at whether the offer letter creates a binding contract or is just describing the initial conditions of employment.

Most offer letters include language saying the employment is at-will and terms can be modified. Check if yours has a clause like "This offer is contingent on at-will employment" or "Terms may be modified at company's discretion."

That said, you should absolutely negotiate. A material change to work location after 3 years is significant. Many companies will offer:

• Relocation assistance if you choose to move
• Severance package if you choose not to relocate
• Extended timeline (3-6 months instead of 2 weeks)

From an HR perspective, two weeks is extremely aggressive for this kind of change. Most companies I work with give 60-90 days minimum for RTO mandates.

This feels like they're either trying to force attrition or they're being reckless. Either way, definitely push back on the timeline even if you can't fight the policy itself.

One thing to consider: if you refuse to relocate and they terminate you (rather than you resigning), you have a much better shot at unemployment benefits.

Don't resign. Make them terminate you if it comes to that. Document everything in writing - save all the emails about this policy change.

In Texas, a material change to working conditions that makes it impossible for you to continue can qualify as "good cause" for unemployment even if you're the one who quits. But being fired for not relocating is even clearer.

This is super helpful. I just re-read my offer letter and it does say "at-will employment" but it also specifically says "Remote position based in Austin, TX."

Going to draft an email asking for either severance or extended timeline. What's reasonable to ask for?

For someone with 3 years tenure being asked to relocate across the country with 2 weeks notice, I'd suggest asking for:

• 3-6 months extended timeline to make the decision and prepare
• Full relocation package if you choose to move (moving costs, temporary housing, realtor fees, etc.)
• OR 3-6 months severance if you choose not to relocate
• Continued benefits during any severance period

Frame it professionally - emphasize your track record, the fact that you were hired specifically for a remote role, and that you need adequate time to make such a major life decision.

They may say no, but you lose nothing by asking. And if enough employees push back, they may reconsider the timeline.

Also check if any of your colleagues are organizing a joint response. There's strength in numbers. If 20 people all ask for the same extended timeline, the company is more likely to listen than if everyone negotiates individually.

I've seen this work at two different companies - management folded when they realized they'd lose 40% of their engineering team.

Update: About 15 of us sent a joint email to leadership asking for 90 days notice and either relocation packages or severance. We'll see what happens.

Really appreciate all the advice here. Even if they don't budge, at least I know my options now. And I'm definitely not resigning - if they want me gone, they can terminate me.