Barbara Corcoran Thinks This Career Trend Is Bad For Your Money — Do Experts Agree?
Written by
Daria Uhlig
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Cory Dudak
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Workers rely on raises, bonuses and job promotions to advance their careers and their earnings. But one career trend — remote work — could make that more difficult.
In an interview with Angela Yee on the “Way Up With Angela Yee” podcast, real estate mogul and business expert Barbara Corcoran acknowledged that from an employee’s perspective, wasting time commuting doesn’t make sense. But whether remote workers are actually more productive at home, Corcoran said she’s not buying it.
“As a boss, you know, I kind of like when I’m in the office to see all the people that work for me in the office working with me,” she said. “If I’m not in the office and I’m taking those two days off or working myself outside the city on some business related thing, I like my people to know they don’t have to come in. But when I’m in, I like my people in.”
In partially remote workplaces, that preference can result in a phenomenon called proximity bias, which is favorable treatment toward employees by virtue of their physical proximity to their supervisors. According to the Harvard Business Review, the bias “stems from the antiquated assumption that those who work remotely are less productive than those who work from the office.”
A spate of employer surveys in the early 2020s, when offices began reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns, suggested that proximity bias might result in remote workers having fewer opportunities for advancement than their onsite coworkers. One such survey from the Society for Human Resource Management lent credence to that concern. The survey found that over two-thirds of supervisors of remote workers considered those workers “more easily replaceable,” and 62% said that “remote work is detrimental to employees’ career objectives.”
Proximity Bias’ Potential Impact and How To Counter
Proximity bias can impact your career in many ways, according to Density, a San Francisco-based workplace design and occupancy planning company. For example, you might experience:
- Fewer opportunities to take on the kinds of high-impact projects that result in raises and promotions
- Fewer performance evaluations
- Reduced pay due to lower commuting costs or living in a location with lower living expenses
- Less access to information and company resources
These tips from Forbes can help you overcome the challenges remote workers face from employers who, consciously or not, favor employees who work onsite:
- Ask your boss for a weekly one-on-one. Use the time to share your career goals and make sure you understand and are meeting your employer’s expectations.
- Reach out to coworkers — individually and in small groups — to stay connected.
- Ask for high-profile projects that can enhance your visibility within the company.
Ultimately, views on remote work from an employer perspective will vary. However, utilizing the tips above and doing your best to get in as much face time as possible could go long way toward being noticed or considered for advancement provided you are also putting in good work.
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