Decision day is fast approaching. Many companies are attempting to return to business like usual, with the pandemic. With more and more companies offering to go fully remote or working a hybrid schedule, many employees are thrilled. However, some key concerns need to be addressed.
Working from home full time has been a much-debated subject that many employees and employers have strong feelings about. Both sides make valid points, and it's clear that there are pros and cons for both parties.
When asked if working from home full time was detrimental to one's chances of promotion. Some say, working from home can be very detrimental. An employee needs to develop certain interpersonal skills such as communication within the company and with clients.
Will those who choose to return to their office have an easier time getting promoted? A recent report from The Wall Street Journal says that's likely true in what is affectionately termed "two-tier workplaces." While it may not be fair, Peter Cappelli points out that face time still matters most for promotion opportunities--a sentiment echoed by other experts on this topic.
Let us face it; when you have direct contact with leadership, you can have the natural banter that goes along with that proximity. You have the chance to engage in that "trivial" small talk; however, looking at it now, this chat is important.
Not to mention, a large part of communication is nonverbal. An article from the Harvard Business Review indicates that your boss can pick up on clues to your work ethic, team player-ness, and ambition with even a glance into one's office. And of course, there are times when you absolutely have to be around just in case there is some emergency or urgent matter which needs to be addressed immediately.
This might not be a popular belief, but you can't have everything at the same time. Every decision has an opportunity cost, and one needs to understand the repercussions. You cannot have the best of both worlds at the same time.
Let's be frank, sometimes getting up to get dressed into office attire can be a drag. Depending on where one lives, the commute to work might be a 2-3 hour round trip. Whereas rolling out of bed, and jumping on a computer, has a limited amount of friction, not to mention time-saving, which is priceless. What could the employee, who has worked from home, do with the extra time? The employee who is working from home potentially has the time advantage. The question is, should you work from home full time?
How about a compromise? If one could have the best of both worlds, would they do it? Would it be possible to work half-time at an office, and then half-time working from home? It all goes back to opportunity cost. Also, when is the best time to work for a promotion, if you want one?
These are all decisions that one will have to weigh in.