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Research suggests employees who work in-office are more likely to receive promotions than those who work remotely.
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For remote and hybrid employees, visibility — not location — is often the deciding factor.
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Sharing your accomplishments, building relationships and consistently demonstrating leadership can help level the playing field.
Remote work transformed the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, and years later, organizations continue to embrace a mix of fully remote, hybrid and in-office schedules. While each arrangement offers its own advantages, many remote employees still wonder whether working from home could hurt their chances of moving up.
The short answer? It can — but not for the reason many people think.
Does Working In Office Increase Your Chances of Getting Promoted?
Research suggests that employees who work in the office are more likely to receive promotions, said Carly Cooper, HR expert and professor at USC Bovard College. But the advantage isn’t really about where people work — it’s about how visible they are.
“It isn’t the office or the building. It’s the visibility the building provides, and you can engineer that from outside it,” Cooper explained.
According to Cooper, a Wall Street Journal analysis found remote employees are promoted about 31% less often than their in-office peers, while 87% of CEOs surveyed by KPMG said they’re more likely to favor employees who work in the office for raises and promotions.
“The penalty largely disappears when there’s strong performance data to go on,” Cooper said. “That tells you the problem is visibility, not merit. So the goal is simple: be seen.”
In other words, working in the office naturally creates more opportunities for managers to notice your work. Remote employees can absolutely make the same impression — it simply requires more intentional effort.
How Can Remote and Hybrid Employees Stay Visible to Leadership?
Remote work doesn’t have to derail your career progression. Cooper recommends focusing on making your contributions impossible to overlook.
“If you can’t win on proximity, win on proof. The promotion penalty is really an information gap,” she said. “First, you need to manufacture the signals proximity would have sent, and then move the evaluation onto ground where you win. Make your output so legible that being in the room becomes irrelevant.”
She recommends five strategies:
Work out loud. Don’t assume great work speaks for itself. Share project updates in team channels, provide regular progress reports, communicate results and document accomplishments through dashboards, reports or presentations.
“Quantify relentlessly,” Cooper advised. “Bring objective performance data to every review because the research says that’s the great equalizer.”
Create opportunities for connection. One of the biggest things remote employees lose is spontaneous interaction. Schedule virtual coffee chats, turn your camera on during meetings, participate in casual conversations before meetings begin and intentionally build relationships across your organization.
“You can’t create a hallway, but you can calendar everything a hallway would have given you,” Cooper said. “Part of the job is building relationships, not just doing the work.”
Lead through initiative. Promotions often go to people who solve problems — not just complete assigned tasks. Volunteer to lead cross-functional projects, organize working groups or create resources that become valuable to your team.
“Leadership reads as reliability others can point to,” Cooper explained.
Find a sponsor. A mentor offers advice. A sponsor advocates for you when you’re not in the room.
“You need someone who says your name in the room because sponsorship is the single biggest accelerant when you’re not physically present,” Cooper said.
Be strategic about your team. Not every manager leads remote employees equally well. If the career drawbacks of remote work diminish under managers who are skilled at leading remote teams, then a manager’s remote fluency can have a meaningful impact on your career.
“Factor it into who you work for, not just where you work,” Cooper said.
What Matters More Than Office Attendance?
While being in the office may increase visibility, attendance alone won’t earn a promotion. Managers also look for employees who:
- Communicate effectively
- Take initiative and solve problems
- Support and collaborate with teammates
- Consistently deliver strong results
- Demonstrate leadership potential
- Adapt to changing priorities
- Build positive working relationships
These qualities often carry more weight than where someone completes their work.
The Bottom Line
Working remotely can make promotions more challenging, but it doesn’t make them unattainable. The key is replacing physical presence with professional visibility.
Document your accomplishments, communicate your impact, build relationships across your organization, volunteer for leadership opportunities and cultivate sponsors who can advocate for your work.
As Cooper puts it, the issue isn’t where you’re working — it’s whether decision-makers clearly understand the value you bring. When they do, your location matters far less.
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