I started my first corporate job early this year and have regretted the shift ever since. When I first joined, my team was hybrid. As the newbie I was supposed to be fully in office until I earned remote privileges. Now that I've worked enough to not need help with any taks, my company pulls a full-time RTO mandate. I'm done with it.
I was about to give my 2 weeks until I read in my contract that the employer must get an immediate payment of $10,000 if I leave within one year. This is to cover the relocation assistance (10%), sign on bonus (10%), and the fees they paid a third party company to recruit me and do onboarding work for them (80%). I didn't even realize this third party company had a role in the process until I looked through the HR software.
So now I can't leave this job, but I also can barely afford my current living situation with the additional commute fees. I also have personal safety reasons why I took a hybrid position in the first place. I wanted a fully remote job to help me avoid stalking/violence from a previous partner of mine. Now I can't afford to get that safety back. I hate the corporate world.