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The idea of working from home is not a new one. In fact, many organizations have allowed it earlier as well as definitely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And while many workers have had to return to the workplace because their employers have insisted, or they’re doing a hybrid model, one question that often comes up is, if I choose to work from home, how am I going to ensure that my promotion prospects don’t get affected?

In this video I am going to share with you 2 effective strategies which will help you improve your promotion prospects while you continue to work from home as well as the 12 tactics you need in order to make it work.

Prefer reading? Here’s the transcript with the 2 strategies and 12 tactics

First a few points.

Telecommuters are 50% less likely to get promoted

A Stanford University study actually indicated that Telecommuters are 50% less likely to get promoted. I’m going to share more about this study with you in a while.

But I also want to tell you other research has shown that this happens due to the assumptions that your colleagues make when they don’t see you around the office on a regular basis. They may think that you’re playing hooky when in fact you are actually working.

Another point is that this problem of inequity in promotions between remote and in-person workers has existed since well before the pandemic forced many people into home-work situations.

In fact, the Stanford Study that I was referring to earlier was actually done in 2015 and was conducted in China by researchers from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. And what they found was that people working from home were actually more productive. In fact 13% more to be exact. But – they weren’t rewarded with promotions at nearly the same rate as their in-office colleagues.

And according to Nicholas Bloom who was the study’s lead author and a professor of economics at Stanford, he said that it was striking that promotion rates plummeted. It was roughly half the promotion rate, compared to those in the office.

Now, if you do choose to work from home and you are concerned about your promotion prospects, let me tell you one thing. This can be overcome but you have to ensure that you raise your visibility and you’re able to demonstrate your reliability.

And for that I’ve got 2 strategies. The first is to increase your face time and the other one is to prove that you are reliable.  So, let’s have a closer look at the first one which is to increase your face time.

How to Increase Your Face Time

Now this is very important because as I had told you earlier that research has shown that people assume that others are not working. And managing your face time is a very big point in how your colleagues view you.

Because just seeing you around tends to create an impression that you’re actually a committed as a team player. If you are working remotely then you just simply have to make an extra effort.

1. Attend meetings

The first tactic is attend meetings. Now what I mean by that is occasionally do come into the office even if your presence isn’t required to attend meetings. And make sure you actually network with your colleagues. Talk to them. Share your ideas.

But definitely make sure you’re putting in some physical appearance. If location-wise that’s not possible then make you’re online with them so that you increase your face time.

2. Participate in social events

 The other one is to participate in social events. Now if your office is organizing an outing or a retreat or if your department is doing something, make sure that you participate in those events and in fact even volunteer to help out with it. All these little, little things can help people to know you, to recognize you and they will realize that no, this person is working, is very much a part of the team.

3. Throw a party

Now the third if you are up to it, is actually to throw a party. Now it doesn’t mean that you throw a wild party or something, but you can invite your colleagues over to your house for potluck dinner or you may invite them for cocktails or just generally, you know get together with them even outside the workplace so that they know that you are around.

4. Travel together

The other ways to increase your face time is, like I said, if your company is going on a retreat then try to book your tickets so that you’re travelling along with the rest of your colleagues in a group. That makes a very, very big difference.

5. Volunteer as a group

You can also volunteer as a group.  If there is a project that your organization does as a Corporate Social Responsibility one, then you can volunteer your time in there. And also try to help out with the logistics. All these things make sure that people know that you are very much around.

6. Join a Committee

You can join a committee if there’s one in your organization that looks at different matters or something which is of personal interest to you. In other words, volunteer. Working from home doesn’t mean you don’t step out of your home or come into the office. What it means is you work from home, but you make sure that other aspects are covered.

7. Share photos

And then, share photos. And when I’m saying share photos, I’m not saying share photos of your dog or of your cat playing office assistant and things like that. Keep that for social media if you want.

But the kind of photos I am telling you is that if you are going on site visits or if you are going for client meetings then take photographs and share with your boss so that he knows that yes, this person is stepping out.

This person is doing their work and in general this is going to help you because you also have to show that you want to get that promotion that you have good people skills and that you know how to deal with customers and clients and even vendors if required.

How to Prove Your Reliability

Now, the second strategy is you have to prove your reliability. And by here, what I mean is your boss has to know that you can be depended upon.

In fact, funnily enough that Stanford study showed that employees who work at home were happier and more productive. The facts are on your side.

1. Share your Personal Office Hours

You just need to let your colleagues know what you’re doing. So, when I say share your personal office hours, have it up in the system, the intranet of your organization so that your colleagues know when to contact you and when to follow up with you on different tasks or projects that you guys are doing.

2. Meet deadlines

The deadlines are very important. Make sure you are committed to them. No slacking off. In fact produce high quality work and try to exceed your boss’s expectations.  Just don’t do enough to be a 3 on a Bell Curve.

3. Exceed expectations

Make sure that you keep exceeding expectations and that you can be relied upon.  Keep your boss in the know about what all you are doing. Give regular feedback also and in general make sure that you keep others in the loop and you stay in the loop.

Now these 2 are very important when we’re talking about promotions and career prospects. Apart from doing everything to show that you’re reliable and people get to see your face and they know who you are, these 2 things are critical.

4. Track accomplishments

You have to track your accomplishments. In other words, you have to keep track because you’re not in the office and you’re going to have to provide evidence. So keep detailed records if you’re working independently most of the time.

And I suggest you take the last few minutes of the day to jot down what all you have achieved and then you can tell your boss about your success stories.

5. Prepare for evaluations

Likewise, prepare for evaluations and if possible, encourage your employer to actually base your promotion on key visible deliverables that you have done and on the outcomes you have produced.

In fact, present your accomplishments and suggest any broader issues that you want to discuss. You could talk about any other professional development that you may have or ask your boss about it. And all of this is basically indicate that you are serious about your career.

It will also help you to demonstrate your Executive Presence and also that you understand the dynamics of your workplace and that you are very much a team member even if you are working from home.

Final Words of Wisdom

So, my final words of wisdom are that you have to create more face time and you also have to show your boss that you’re indispensable.

These are the first 2 things you need to do. But also remember that you have to ask for what you want, whether it’s a raise or a new position or a project because your boss is not a mind reader.

You have to ask for what you want, and you have to demonstrate you are up to it.

And if you put all of this together, you’re going to be well on your way to a successful career while you work from home. And everyone’s going to be happy.

Now I have mentioned earlier about Executive Presence. Some people think that in order to show Executive Presence you actually have to be in the office. That’s not quite true.

You can also demonstrate Executive Presence on the phone. You can demonstrate Executive Presence on video calls. It’s just that you have to change certain ways of doing it.

And I invite you to download for free, my Executive Presence Checklist and see where you are actually measuring up.

Along with that checklist you also get a series of emails where I am going to be pointing out the areas you need to focus on.

Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you cannot develop or demonstrate your Executive Presence. So please go ahead and download this checklist and see where you stand. And that’s a wrap.

My question to you or rather my parting question to you is, which of these tactics are you going to try first for maximum results? Go ahead and do it and then come back and share your results with me.

This is Vatsala Shukla from Karmic Ally Coaching signing off. All the best. Let’s rock your career!