Want a promotion? You need to put in the face-time!

We at Powwownow LOVE remote and flexible working! The benefits are so vast that it is hard to argue why you wouldn’t want to do it or offer it as an option for employees. With time-poor staff and global workforces, telecommuting allows you all to stay in touch no matter where you are.

However, new research by the London Business School has shown that when trying to get a promotion, you have more chance of succeeding if you put in time in the office.

Business Promotion

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The London Business School’s Daniel Cable, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, said: “Twenty years ago, when we left the office, we generally left our work behind, which is ironic because more than ever before, much work can be accomplished without being physically present at a desk in a building.”

Interestingly when they looked at leaders and team members in regards to leadership, the study revealed that ‘passive face-time’ was the big difference between the two groups. ‘Passive face-time’ refers to being seen in the office – regardless of what you are doing or how well you are doing it.

The study also found that face-time didn’t only concentrate on working hours, but also extracurricular face-time where you are seen to be working outside of normal hours. Higher values of face-time found that perceptions changed amongst colleagues as well as bosses, with terms such as ‘responsible’ and ‘dependable’ being used regularly for those that were seen around the office the most.

So what do you do if you are a remote worker? Well there are a few things you can do to make sure that people recognise the work you are putting in:

1. Arrange regular catch ups, either via phone or by email. Giving regular status updates.
2. When you do go into the office, make sure you are extra visible by speaking to everyone.
3. Try to be immediately available at home, by responding to emails or calls quickly – so there isn’t an annoyance that people cannot get hold of you.

Hopefully when it comes to evaluating your performance, people can be measured on their outcomes, rather than whether they are in the office or not! With the advances of tools such as Powwownow Engage, staying in touch is even easier and video calls allow you to have that face-time, without physically being present.

For more information on the recent study or for a Q&A with Professor Cable on his face time research, visit: http://bsr.london.edu/lbs-article/584/index.html