Promotions in a Remote World
Coffee chats, 1 on 1’s and networking dinners are key activities you must participate in if you want to take your career to the next level. But as we all know, those activities have either been canceled or moved virtually.
And because we are in a world of remote work, a new set of questions have surfaced:
Will there be limited career advancement or promotional opportunities since I am working remotely?
And, how can I continue to progress my career goals despite working from home?
According to Psychology Today, there is evidence that shows that working remotely can have a negative impact on promotional opportunities. We know that according to the promotion formula, visibility plays a role in the securing of a promotion.
Remote work limits visibility and relationship building, there is a slim chance that top talent could not be promoted. But slim does not mean impossible.
Here are some easy tips to you can implement to ensure your career goals are still on track.
1. Don’t stop networking. Instead of canceling professional development chats, move them to be virtual. While you’d rather be in person, there is still progress that can be made online. In fact, I had my best 1 on 1 with a VP at my company since I have been working from home. Relationship building is key to taking your career to the next step – don’t stop building just because we are remote.
2. Keep up with your performance goals. Performance is the key indicator of a promotion. In other words, if you don’t perform you will not get promoted. It is easy to get distracted while working from home so be intentional about tracking and achieving your goals. Personally, I revisit my key performance indicator goals every two weeks just to make sure I am on track.
3. Complete a LinkedIn learning course. Knowledge is power and when you know better you do better. I know I am about to sound like a broken record but use this time to develop your skills. Learn more about a topic that is pivotal to your business. I work in a data driven industry, so I am completing a Tableau course to understand the basics of the software. When I need data to support an idea, I will know how to use the data reporting tool. This is not only a good use of my time but a strategic approach to making an impact with my work.
Our new reality is new which means that it’s something we have to intentionally work at each day. Give yourself some grace but don’t get too comfortable because “If it doesn’t challenge us, then it doesn’t change us.”
Until next time jumpstarters,
Kirsten
Kirsten is a high achieving professional Millennial who is on a mission to empowering others through powerful communication. She is also a podcast co-host for The First Cup Podcast.
The First Cup is an advice-driven podcast dedicated to empowering millennials to proactively navigate through a world where you’re pressured to be successful in your career, be actively present within each and every relationship, and live an “Instagram-worthy” lifestyle. You can listen to The First Cup Podcast by clicking here.
