Jack Welch recently shared a post on LinkedIn in which he compared working remotely to career suicide. While it is not always easy to disagree with someone so respected and influential, I do disagree very strongly with the idea that working remotely will always kill your career. Of course, if you were to work in an organization that does not have the culture that accepts and encourages remote work then that could definitely be a challenge to maintaining your career. However, if your organization believes in and supports it, then working remotely should not be seen as an obstacle to advancing your career.
There are many great companies that allow employees to choose their own hours and occasionally work from home in emergency situations, but where most employees show up to the office to work daily. In this situation, you may not have much success going against the corporate culture that is already embedded and working remotely full time could hurt your career progression. Other organizations, like IBM and Cisco, encourage remote and flexible work. Employees have hi definition monitors in their homes to use as video conferencing screens. In the office, there are no assigned seats or desks. Working remotely in organizations with this type of corporate culture is accepted and does not stall career advancement.
So the affects that working remotely can have on your career really depend on each organization individually. Going against any part of a company’s culture will create a challenge for an employee, whether it be the dress code or promotion policies. It may be frowned upon when you begin wearing cargo shorts to work when everyone else is dressed in a suit! But the blanket statement that working remotely is career suicide is inaccurate as it doesn’t apply to every situation and organization.
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This video is brought to you by Staples Business Advantage, the business-to-business division of Staples, Inc. I recently worked with Staples Business Advantage on their 2016 Workplace Index, which examined the state of the workplace in the United States and Canada. The report identified what employees want and need from their employers, including wellness programs, smart office design, the right technology, and space and supplies for taking breaks. These findings are critical to help companies meet their recruitment, retention, and employee engagement goals. Download the report at go.staplesadvantage.com/workplaceindex2016.
Jacob Morgan is a keynote speaker, author, and futurist. You can invite Jacob to keynote your next conference, subscribe to his videos on Youtube, check our his podcast, or subscribe to his newsletter!
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