She booked a non-refundable trip, then got called back to the office — lawyers say she’s likely out of luck While the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in the era of remote work, many companies are tired of their staff logging in from home.
In fact, the Federal Reserve reported an “upturn of return-to-office announcements,” and Fed data (1) reveals that around 22% of U.S. workers were working from home at least sometimes in 2025, with the number of telecommuters down by just under one percentage point from 2024
Must Read Unfortunately, some people who are being called back into office have found themselves facing ruined plans and potentially serious financial damage because of it. Let’s pretend, for example, that Tanya has been called back to the office for her bookkeeping job. She was planning to work from Paris during a summer vacation in August and already booked non-refundable tickets.
But now her company told her to come back in July. Tanya is facing the prospect of changing her plane tickets, or cancelling the trip altogether, and that means she’ll be out at least hundreds of dollars. Now, she’s wondering whether her employer should pay her back the money lost.