For more than two years, technologists everywhere have engaged in remote work. But will remote work damage their careers in the long run?
Former AOL CEO Tim Armstrong recently told The Information that younger workers are at a disadvantage if they can’t return to a physical office. “If I had one piece of advice for younger people in their 30s: Go back to work,” he told the publication. “Even if your company doesn’t let you come back, create your own working environment and invite some people over.”
His logic is simple: When you’re in the office, you have lots of opportunities to network with more experienced colleagues. Those connections, in turn, will boost your career for many years to come.
Other executives agree with that assessment, adding that in-office work makes it easier to influence projects and strategic decisions. “Having lunch with co-workers or dropping into your boss’s office are valuable interactions that help you have more fun and make a bigger impact because you’re more connected to all the folks that are there,” Bryan Hancock, the global head of talent work at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., recently suggested to CNBC.
Although technologists like the idea of remote work, they’re also enthused about hybrid work, which allows them to come back to the office for a few days per week. According to Dice’s Tech Sentiment Report, some 85 percent of technologists find the prospect of hybrid work anywhere from somewhat to extremely desirable. Meanwhile, 94 percent of younger technologists (i.e., those between 18 and 34 years old) think of a hybrid workplace as either somewhat, very or extremely desirable, compared to 84 percent of those aged 35 and older.
There’s every possibility that these younger workers like coming into the office for the camaraderie and potential mentorship—they just don’t want to sit at their office desks five days a week. With that in mind, we have a new quiz for you: Do you think that remote work is harmful for your career? Let us know what you think, and we’ll print the results in a future article!
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