Company won't allow remote employee to relocate 1 mile away within their city: 'You’ve been shown the warning signs'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 20, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Why should a remote job require you to be in a certain zip code?

Maybe you've heard about the delights of working a remote job. Maybe you work one yourself. You know the flexibility it gives you, and you use it to your advantage. If you need to skip town for a week, you can do it in a way that won't disrupt the flow of your job. As long as you're able to get your work done and connect with your coworkers and managers, you're in the clear. But some jobs want a little more control over that. It's a fine line to walk- to give your employees the option of working remotely full-time- and to still want to micromanage the way they work from home. If you're surrendering control, then you should probably just surrender control. You don't get to have your cake and eat it too.

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  • A remote worker sits in front of an iPad
    via Jae Park

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • My company won't let me relocate a mile away within my city. Why is this such a big issue?

    Can someone explain why it's an issue if I move to a new neighborhood while working 100% remotely? My lease is ending and I don't like where I'm living. So I chose a new place to live.
    via Formidable_Baboy
  • I got a job offer and they wanted me to submit an internet speed test; passed with flying colors. Lo and behold, I told them I'm moving to a new address before my official start date, and they told me that could jeopardize my employment offer because they need to approve my workplace.
    via Formidable_Baboy
  • I told them I could complete my move one week before I start and they said it's not possible. I will literally have the same ISP and router, be hardwired with an Ethernet cable, and just be less than a mile away. Same city and zip code.
    via Formidable_Baboy
  • Can someone explain? I have to wait six weeks until my training ends.
    via Formidable_Baboy

  • Commenters gave their best guesses.

    wowieowie Approve your work place? How? Are they coming to your home? That's crazy.
    via wowieowie
  • Just-Shoe2689 "Fine, I wont move" Then move. F them.
    via Just-Shoe2689
  • Limp-Plantain3... OP- what jurisdiction are you in? I don't understand why anyone asks questions like this and omits fundamental details required for intelligent answers
    via Limp-Plantain3824
  • A woman sits on the couch using a laptop, looking malaiseful
    via Resume Genius

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • That's what this job was trying to do, though, when they were about to hire a new employee. When you're first being onboarded for a job, you're probably walking on eggshells. You don't want to do anything or say anything that might jeopardize your future with the company. Odds are, you needed this job, and you'd like to hold onto it if you can. But sometimes you make one wrong move, and everything comes crumbling down. This is when you learn that it was never meant to be in the first place. If it were that easy to mess up, then it was never truly yours. That's what this employee learned at the start of their new gig. With it being a remote job, they figured that changing their address would be a non-issue. After all, they weren't having to commute to an office. Plus, they were going to be in the same town, just a short distance away. But their employer started to get a little bit testy about the subject, and they were left wondering why. Keep scrolling to read all the details of the story and see the guesses some commenters had about why they would do this.

  • Formidable_Baboy OP Because we'd rather not risk employers figuring us out in these reddit posts. I've been found out before... I'll just say illinois
    via Formidable_Baboy
  • mrcrashoverride Well it seems like you found out more than you would like about this company before you even start. You've been shown the warning signs, now how much dancing do you want to do....??
    via mrcrashoverride
  • Formidable_Baboy OP Unfortunately I need this job badly, especially in this economy.
    via Formidable_Baboy
  • jjajang_mane I was interviewing for a hybrid role recently that required relocation but in the screening the recruiter told me they couldn't move forward unless they knew the exact address I'd be moving to before they'd make an offer.
    via jjajang_mane
  • I asked why and it came down to them wanting to run their offer through some algorithm that would adjust my salary based on the cost of living down to the street or zip. I don't think the recruiter even understood this wasn't really a legal requirement and was more just a way to pay me as little
    via jjajang_mane
  • as possible with bulls justification. We hadn't even got to the point of salary negotiation and that would make more difference than any average housing price by street algorithm!
    via jjajang_mane
  • Happy_Macaron... it's almost never about the actual move, it's about documented compliance. companies have to register where their employees work for tax withholding, labor law, and sometimes workers comp purposes. even within the same city, a new address triggers a process their HR or payroll team has to run through.
    via Happy_Macaron5197
  • the six week training window is probably also when they have you locked into a specific setup they've approved and documented. any change to that mid- onboarding creates paperwork they'd rather not touch until you're fully in the system.
    via Happy_Macaron5197
  • annoying but it's usually not personal. just notify them of the new address the moment training ends and it should be a non-issue from there.
    via Happy_Macaron5197
  • Limp-Plantain3... Nobody remembers the home workplace inspection. thread from last week? We beat this into the ground, dug it up and beat it. some more.
    via Limp-Plantain3824
  • khardy101 They want to downsize, and this gives them a reason.
    via khardy101
  • Think-Ad-1333 I dunno about a mile away, but some areas of cities have low/no coverage for the speed of internet required. I saw it happen multiple times where I used to work. Someone moves and the company paid internet went
    via Think-Ad-1333
  • from Xfinity to T-mobile or Verizon because the major players for consistent internet weren't in that particular spot. The T- Mobile and Verizon people constantly had problems. with dropped calls and extreme latency on the call center programs. Not saying
    via Think-Ad-1333
  • this is the case for you, because you said 1 mile away, same provider, but that's the scenario I've seen happen. Could also be that your setup where you are is close to the router and you get reliable connection, but maybe in the new place, you're farther away, due to the layout of the home and
    via Think-Ad-1333
  • where your connection comes in. We had people all the time where they needed a connection in their office, but the cable company wanted them to pay for new lines to be run and our company wouldn't pay for that.
    via Think-Ad-1333
  • Mac-Gyver-1234 This is going to be one of those,,we are on video call all the time so we can see each other working" companies. Run while you can
    via Mac-Gyver-1234
  • Nearby_Knowle... Hilarious. This is what happens when bureaucracies make tech decisions.
    via Nearby_Knowlege8014
  • pilgrim103 It is an issue because they say it is. Get another job or go to work.
    via pilgrim103

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