Companies are clashing with workers over the future of work as employees re-evaluate their situation following the pandemic, worker shortages and ongoing inflation, writes Chip Cutter, Katherine Bindley and Kathryn Dill for The Wall Street Journal.

Ken VanLuvanee discovered those shifting expectations when he recently searched to fill positions at his Wayne company, Facet Life Sciences Inc., which employs about 15 people.  

Candidates with advanced degrees and two to three years of experience wanted base salaries of $250,000, with bonuses of 40 to 60 percent.  Those amounts are about $40,000 to $75,000 above what employees at that level usually receive.

 “This appears to be, ‘Look, I put in my time, I’ve worked for four years. And, you know, now I deserve $300,000 in the corner office,” he said.  “We can’t hire people at what we think is a reasonable price. So, we essentially wind up turning work away.”

In this era of inflation, even modest raises are being challenged. At the same time, many workers don’t want to go back to the office.

Those expectations clash with bosses who want workers to get more done with less resources as fears of a recession loom.  

Read more about worker expectations and the future of work at The Wall Street Journal.

Mike Ryder looks at the future of work in this TED Talk.