How to Get Noticed More as a Remote Worker

Out of sight, out of mind. That’s exactly what you don’t want to have happen if you are a remote worker these days. If you’re on-site, it’s sometimes easier to get noticed in a positive way that advances your career. But if your couch is your office cubicle, it can be harder to get notices and move up the corporate ladder. At the same time, you love working remotely and don’t want to give up that lifestyle. How can you achieve balance by still staying visible even when working remotely?

Remote Work Cons: Is Being Remote Stopping Your Career Advancement

There are pros and cons to remote work. One of them is that it may be tougher to get your good work noticed and advance your career. This isn’t just conjecture, either. A Stanford study showed work from home employees are 50% less likely to be promoted than their on-site counterparts. That is potentially very bad news for the nearly 60% of the American workforce that is currently remote. The study suggested that remote employees suffer from reduced visibility in many cases, which makes them vulnerable to career stagnation.

If you’re working remotely, then there seems to be cause for concern. Here are some suggestions for ways to stand out in the best possible ways to ensure you’re working your way up the ladder from wherever you’re working.

  1. Be the Best and Most Responsive Employee You Can Be

Focus on setting up an office space in your home that allows you to be entirely present in your job. Practice organization and time management skills that ensure you never miss a deadline or a deployment. Be extremely detail-oriented and highly responsive, and responsible to your coworkers. All of these things will get you noticed. However, be careful to establish a work/life balance. It’s easy to slip into more than 40 hours a week when you’re remote. Instead, focus harder, stay more organized, and get more done in the time you’ve allotted. Then take a break, turn off Slack, and enjoy your life. You will come back more refreshed, not less. This will improve your performance in the long run. 

  1. Stay Visible

Remote work can lend itself to self-effacing. If you’re shy, working remotely allows you to hang back, do the work, and remain a little disengaged. Don’t fall victim to this. Instead, offer to help. Publicly. Participate in funny memes on work IM channels (not too many, you don’t want to be noticed for the wrong things here.) If there are in-person meetings that you’re invited to, show up on camera so people can see you’re front and center. Then engage in the discussion, provide advice, and support your peers. You should also work to develop strong relationships with your peers. Even quietly, these relationships are highly valuable to your career. This is particularly true if your company has a 360-degree feedback mechanism. Beyond that, it’s good to have friends at work. They can help when you need a sounding board and just generally make the job more fun and interesting. 

  1. Grow Your Own Career

Finally, stay visible by adding credentials to your resume. Learn new skills during the time you would have commuted to work. Most employers now have programs to promote skills development. Take advantage of these when you can. Employers notice people actively trying to improve. Make sure you’re one of those employees. 

Sometimes, though, despite your best efforts, your employer just doesn’t get it. You’ve done all you can to be noticed, but you continue to be passed over for the kinds of roles you want.

Maybe it’s time to talk to Blackstone Talent Group. We’ve been helping top employees get noticed in their efforts to find a better work home. We can help you, too. Ready for the next step in your career? Call on us.

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