Some 70% of employers are more likely to promote employees who come into the office rather over those who prefer remote work.
Management consultancy Robert Half surveyed 1,500 workers in medium and large companies between June and July this year. The study found that the majority of employers grant promotions based on the amount of time an employee spends in the office.
52% of employers grant promotions based on individual performance and a desire to keep the employee in the company. One in five companies grant promotions in order to stay competitive within their sector.
Employees reacted negatively to the emphasis on time spent in the office. While four in ten respondents said they would come to the office more regularly to increase their chance of a promotion, 22% said they valued teleworking more than career advancement and 15% said they would rather look for a new job than forfeit remote working.
Robert Half warns that employers' focus on time spent in the office is an ambivalent criteria for employees and "must be clearly communicated".
Credit: Unsplash
"Being in the office more often doesn't necessarily mean that someone performs better," said Regional Managing Director Joël Poilvache. "Since the pandemic, many companies are struggling to find the right balance between telecommuting and being in the office. We are seeing more and more companies abandoning teleworking, despite the fact that employees are attached to it."
'A real gap' between expectations
These criteria do not align with employee expectations, who believe promotions are awarded based on performance (18%) and new competencies or certifications they have developed or achieved (22%).
24% believe they are entitled to a promotion every year, but two thirds of respondents say the negotiation process has become more difficult this year compared to last year.
"There is a real gap between employers' and employees' expectations," said Poilvache. "While the majority of employers award promotions based on performance, employees mainly expect them to be based on other criteria, such as new skills, or simply because they haven't had a raise in a long time."
Poilvache calls on companies to engage in open dialogue with staff and is "curious" to see how the gap between employer and employee perceptions evolves in the coming years.
A separate study conducted by Acerta in March showed that one in three employers want to get rid of teleworking against the wishes of 41% of employees surveyed.
Another study published by BeMob last month highlighted the impact of teleworking on traffic reduction. Working from home avoids 34 million kilometres of commuting every day.
