In the spring of 2022, Roxana Garcia Espejo was hired as a Microsoft trainer helping

customers with Excel and other applications.

It had been a lifelong dream for me like, I'm working for Microsoft.

I mean like how cool is this, right?

For Garcia Espejo who became a caregiver for her aging parents in the pandemic, the job's

flexibility was another huge positive.

As she told in Paris, Andrea Shoe, my work life balance was completely changed.

She only had to be in the office 20% of the time.

She began exercising, her blood pressure dropped.

She adapted well to being remote, loving the lively discussions of the online chat.

As if it were the all day chatter of all of the teams that I was a part of.

But all of that was short lived.

This spring, Garcia Espejo's entire team was cut as part of the mass layoffs that hit

Microsoft and the rest of the tech industry.

She's been searching for another remote position with no luck.

There aren't as many as there were a year ago.

And with her unemployment soon running out, she's starting to consider in-person jobs.

I guess I don't look at it anymore as I'm holding out.

I look at it as I'm in control of where I've not my ship to sail.

This is all part of a larger trend we've been seeing.

This fall employers all across the country are rolling out stricter requirements for in-person

work.

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