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Workers who telecommute might be putting the brakes on their careers, according to a new report.
Sixty percent of executives think that working from home can hurt an employee’s upward mobility in an organization, according to a survey from Korn/Ferry, a talent-search consultancy.
However, 94 percent of bosses said that telecommuting proves useful to their employees who have children.
The generally disapproving attitude comes despite evidence that execs understand the situation of working parents, as most have been in their long-distance workers’ shoes. A full 77 percent have telecommuted in their careers, and 58 percent are working from home now.
The main problem telecommuters face is the perception of being “invisible” to fellow colleagues.
“It does not have to limit career mobility, but if not properly managed it can,” said Kathy Woods, a senior partner at Korn/Ferry.
Woods described ways of negotiating the pull between home computer and work terminal. The responsibility falls on both employees and their bosses.
“As a virtual employee, you then need to find ways to connect with those people, and that doesn’t have to be in person,” Woods said.
“Things like picking up the phone and calling the person, scheduling a video conference, arranging to meet on a sales call, or asking to be involved in a special project all work to help create visibility and connectivity with the people who make a difference to your career.”
Yahoo! chief Marissa Mayer brought the issue to the fore in February when she imposed a companywide ban on telecommuting.
Mayer in a speech earlier this month finally spoke on the matter by first saying “people are more productive when they’re alone,” but went on to say that “they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together. Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together.”
According to published reports, the policy change affects roughly 200 of Yahoo’s 12,000 employees.