Remote workers could be missing out on a crucial aspect of their professional growth: Feedback.
A recent report from economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Iowa and Harvard University shows that remote work can lead to greater productivity, but the employees receive less feedback from bosses and colleagues than those who work in the office.
"It's what grandparents have been saying for a long time," Natalia Emanuel, a New York Fed economist, said in the New York Times. "Face-to-face meetings are very different from FaceTime.”
A working paper called "The Power of Proximity" says it's hard to replicate feedback from afar. The report comes as more companies are calling workers back to the office.
The gap in feedback may be especially detrimental to workers who are early in their careers, as well as women and people of color who may not have the same professional networks. Junior engineers who work at an undisclosed tech firm who worked remotely received less feedback than those who worked in the office, the report showed. The decrease in feedback was particularly pronounced for female engineers. The assumption is that those who receive less feedback are more likely to quit the company, Business Insider said.
Even with that risk, those workers who might be missing out on professional growth due to remote work are most in favor of it, surveys have indicated. Although workers favor the option, job listings for remote roles have become more scarce, and some companies that have embraced remote work have reported success. TaskRabbit, for example, closed its offices in April 2022 and reported a 10% decrease in turnover and a 7% increase in work-life balance for employees.
The report highlights the potential benefits of working in an office setting, and asserts that feedback from experienced coworkers can help younger workers develop quicker. However, some workers report that they experience fewer hurdles, such as sexism and discriminatory behavior, when they work remotely.
Hybrid work, which seems to be an obvious compromise between working in the office and working remotely, might not fix all the shortcomings. The economists note that even if one person on a team works remotely, collaboration can still be limited.
Overall, the report indicates the potential professional pitfalls of remote work can limit those employees who don’t have the same professional networks as those working in the office. Thus, the advice for companies is that while remote work offers flexibility and can increase productivity, it's important for companies to consider how they can provide feedback and assessments to remote workers to ensure professional growth and development.