Is remote work holding younger or more junior employees back?
While millennials and boomers had no choice but to adapt to remote work during the pandemic, for many transitioning from college into their first job, remote work is all they know.
And while those who are more established in their careers are relishing the opportunity to work from home for all or part of the week, Gen Z isn’t as convinced—49% of millennials would prefer to work fully remote compared to just 27% of Gen Zers.
It’s now recognized that proximity bias exists in the workplace and is affecting remote workers: 95% of executives are more aware of the contributions made by team members working in the office.
Loss of connection
From workers’ perspectives, not getting face time with more senior members of staff is also negatively impacting career progression.
According to a study conducted by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Iowa and Harvard, remote workers are paying a price for having more flexibility around work location.
The data uncovered that although remote work allows for greater productivity for more senior or established workers, it reduces the amount of feedback junior staff receive, particularly female staff members.
What can junior staff do to ensure they are accessing face time with their managers, especially if Zoom meetings aren’t facilitating the kind of dialogue that facilitates on-the-job learning?
Remote done right
If a company offers a hybrid working model, and in-office days are stipulated in your contract, it’s a good idea to link in with your team and ensure your schedule is mirroring theirs so you’re all in the office on the same days.
This will allow for collaboration, brainstorming and most importantly, will help you to become a “feedback magnet”.
Coined by Shivani Berry, a career coach and CEO of online leadership program Ascend, being a “feedback magnet” involves seeking out opinions, comments and advice on how to do things, instead of waiting for an annual performance review.
Done correctly, it will allow you to tweak your behaviors and processes so your work aligns with the needs of your team, use the feedback you’ve been given to evolve and improve and ultimately climb the career ladder instead of stagnating in your current position.
Available Hybrid Work Opportunities
Below are three companies that are actively working to strike the right balance when it comes to hybrid work and you can find many more opportunities on The GradCafe Job Board.
Microsoft
In 2021, Microsoft employees were given formal permission to work from home and in 2022 started calling employees back to the office on a hybrid basis. “Hybrid work represents the biggest shift to how we work in our generation—and it’ll require a new operating model, spanning people, places, and processes,” CEO Satya Nadella has said of the company’s attitude towards post-pandemic workplace flexibility. It has also introduced Microsoft Viva for staff to streamline communication and ensure everyday connection between employees is preserved. View current opportunities at Microsoft here.
Adobe
In 2021 Adobe’s chief people officer, Gloria Chen, shared that the creative suite company would be implementing a hybrid approach and that employees would “gather for the moments that matter” and the rest of the time would have “an intentional mix of physical and virtual presences, with in-person gatherings driven by purpose and designed for collaboration”. In order to facilitate this the company has doubled down on the digital tools it uses to improve employee experience and increase productivity. to Get more information about how you can work for Adobe here.
EY
Accountancy firm EY has tried to accommodate a hybrid working model in various ways and in an effort to make transitioning back to office life easier for its staff, has created a $22 million benefits program that makes commuting and family commitments like childcare easier by removing the financial burdens associated with working outside of the home. Named the “EY Way of Working Transition Fund”, the program allows all of its 55,000 U.S. employees to seek reimbursements on commuting and childcare and pet care costs unlimited times. See more about a career at EY here.
