I'm writing this column on the heels of a recruiting call I made recently on behalf of a downtown Chicago-based client. The candidate I spoke with is in-house at a company headquartered in nearby suburban Schaumburg, Illinois. She goes into the nearby headquarters office two days per week as part of her company's hybrid model. While my client could offer a better position in terms of title and compensation, this candidate was unwilling to commute into downtown Chicago three days per week as part of my client's hybrid office model.

To commute or not to commute is a topic I feel compelled to address, so let me start with a few observations:

• There is absolutely a generational dynamic at play. The expectation of schedule flexibility is much higher among younger professionals without a history of commuting.