Just as big companies like Wells Fargo and Microsoft, which have long delayed returning to the office, announce their plans to restart in-person work, Andrea Hsu reports for NPR that now rising gas prices rather than pandemic concerns are weighing on workers’ minds. Companies are moving forward with return to work plans regardless of the higher prices, causing employees to rethink their budgets and priorities. In Silicon Valley, a new Google employee is considering living closer to Google’s headquarters despite being one of the most expensive housing markets in order to save on gas. Matthew Michanie, a job seeker in North Carolina, is only considering hybrid or remote jobs, in part due to the commute. “I love spending time with my kids here, instead of spending time in traffic,” Michanie said. An employer in Texas is providing $50 gas cards to help their employees absorb the extra “unexpected” cost. The national average price per gallon of regular gas was $4.325 on Monday.