You're less likely to get promoted if you work from home, study shows

Despite working from home becoming more of a norm following the 2020 pandemic, new research has determined that people who regularly WFH are less likely to get a promotion or a pay rise than office-goers.

In fact, the research found that even those who work from home part time are more likely to be affected, and that it’s more likely to impact women than men.

Researchers from the University of Warsaw in Poland presented their findings at the British Sociological Association’s online annual conference.

To find these results, the team surveyed 937 British managers who were presented with two imaginary profiles of employees and were asked to decide who they would give a promotion and a pay rise to.

It found that men working from home full time in a demanding company were 30% less likely to get a promotion and 19% less likely to get a pay rise.

Overall the team found that managers were 11% less likely to give a promotion to staff who worked entirely from home than those who are office based.

Opportunity losses also applied to hybrid workers who were 7% less likely to be promoted on average.

The study also showed that managers are less likely to give pay rises to staff who work from home.

Managers reported being 9% less likely to give a pay rise to staff working entirely from home, and 7% less likely to give one to hybrid workers.

The study team also highlighted a gender gap, as managers were 15% less likely to promote men working from home compared to 7% less likely to promote women working from home.

In terms of pay rises, men working from home had a 10% cut to their chances, while women had an 8% decrease.

"The recent Covid-19 pandemic has triggered a substantial shift towards working from home, potentially influencing employers’ attitudes and companies’ readiness to manage remote employees," doctoral researcher Agnieszka Kasperska, who presented the findings, said.

"However, our findings indicate that individuals working from home still encounter career penalties, irrespective of the widespread adoption of this mode of work.

"Both male and female remote workers experience career penalties, but they are substantially larger for men."

The results also showed that organisations with demanding work cultures were 30% less likely to promote and 19% less likely to give a pay rise to men who worked entirely from home.

For women these figures were 15% and 19%, respectively.

In organisations with more supportive environments, no penalty to staff for flexible working was found.

According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, around 16% of British adults work from home full-time, and 28% follow a hybrid working pattern.

Additional reporting by SWNS.

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