As remote and hybrid working establish themselves as the new norm, the Wall Street Journal warns workers not to get too comfortable. It could be that working from home causes your career to stagnate while your on-site colleagues fast-track their career paths. Watch out!
Key points covered by the article include:
– Leaders of Tesla, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase have been clear about their dislike of remote working. According to JPMorgan’s CEO, Jamie Dimon, remote and hybrid models are fine for some roles but, when it comes to senior positions, employees “cannot lead from behind…a screen.”
– Not all businesses have the same view. Some are promising genuine ‘hybrid equity’ whereby there are no career penalties for working from home.
– The dominant feeling, however, is that on-site workers are more likely to get noticed and rewarded. It’s called ‘proximity bias’. You can outperform in all your tasks and attend all the Zoom meetings imaginable, but if you’re not physically present for that impromptu chat with your boss when the meeting breaks up, it’s your on-site equivalent who’ll spring to mind when it comes to promotions and salary raises.
– There are other risks involved beyond proximity bias. Even at companies that have embraced remote work – such as Google, Facebook and Twitter – there have been warnings of pay cuts for those who go remote and move to cheaper cities. In addition, with people in historically marginalised groups being more likely to opt for remote working, longstanding inequities could become more pronounced. Since there’s little to no legislation in matters relating to remote working, employees and employers need to be particularly mindful of the risks.
The world of remote and hybrid working is still developing, and only time will deliver its valuable lessons. But if you don’t want to risk compromising your career ambitions, this article claims that the safest bet is to regularly show up at the office.
What do you think? Perhaps the answer depends on industry or company size? Maybe it’s all about whether you had already established yourself as a valuable team member before your company adopted a remote or hybrid model? As the UK’s leading multilingual recruitment agency, we are made privy to the views and experiences of over 400 successful companies worldwide. Please get in touch for insights on this or other work-related matters. And whatever your working model preferences, we’ll source the perfect opportunity for you and help you nail the interview. We hope to hear from you soon!
