Does Working from Home Hurt Your Career Growth—or Boost It?

Working remotely or working from home, whatever you want to call it, offers unmatchable flexibility, convenience, and cost-effectiveness, making it one of the most sought-after opportunities among the current American workforce.

I mean, can you really blame them?

That being said, this gives rise to a very important question: Does working remotely boost or hurt your career growth? In this article, I’ll let you decide by sharing the pros and cons of this work model in terms of career progression, so you can choose wisely.

Let’s begin.

Remote Work Pros That Can Potentially Boost Your Career

Career growth is dependent upon certain factors, from whether you have the right skill set to your productivity and efficiency, and everything else in between.

Let’s explore how remote work helps you level up on all of them.

Surviving the Digital Divide

Remote work is dependent on a lot of internet-supported tools and platforms for almost all important business processes, such as communication, collaboration, project management, and marketing.

By pursuing remote work, you are pushed to learn about how to use these different tools and platforms, growing your digital skills and securing your future as the number of employers demanding digital literacy starts to grow.

Productivity and Efficiency

One of the major ways that remote work can help you grow in your career is the increased productivity and efficiency that it creates. That’s not just me talking; in fact, according to Activtrak, remote workers are 35% to 40% more productive than traditional office workers.

This could be because digital tools can handle tasks more efficiently, leaving workers to focus on more important tasks and thereby improving their productivity. Fast and reliable internet connections can also support these tools, so it might help you to look into the best internet providers for working from home before you start.

Improved Work-Life Balance

Life is all about balance, and remote work offers a better work-life balance compared to an in-office setting. Think about it, you’re sparing yourself a ton of travel time and costs, both of which you could use for better purposes, such as pursuing your hobbies, planning a family vacation, or more. 

Additionally, you’re free to work from your home or any other place you like as long as you have an internet connection, which can open up opportunities for you and your family to travel to or live in more affordable or stress-free places.

That about covers the major benefits of working from home and beyond. Sadly, there is a downside to this work model, and the next section takes a trip to the dark side of the moon.

Remote Work Cons That Could Be a Speedbump For Your Career

Even though remote work is a promising alternative free of the problems that traditional work models have, it does not benefit everyone the same way. This section takes a look at some of the major career speedbumps that a remote work lifestyle may create for you.

Limited Visibility

More often than not, remote work has very limited face-to-face interactions, which can limit your visibility in an organization. This can, in turn, impact your growth and networking opportunities, as well as opportunities to directly or indirectly learn through your peers or seniors.

Compared to a traditional office setting, where you can keep yourself at the forefront of things, this lack of visibility can also result in feelings of isolation or burnout, since you can no longer socially interact with coworkers to let off steam after a daunting task.

It also becomes more challenging to build networks and may cause you to miss out on organic collaborations that are vital for career growth.

Setup Affordability

Companies are embracing remote work models rapidly, but for many, creating a setup that can meet the needs of the organization is a tough and expensive task.

You have to finalize the right internet provider, buy equipment such as a fast laptop, computer, or mouse, along with a desk and chair, to make your work hours comfortable and efficient. 

Employers may even demand screenshots of your internet speed to see if you match their expectations.

While fast and reliable internet providers like Xfinity can help you choose a plan once you contact the Xfinity phone number, the other prerequisites are a different story.

You’ll need to spend some time researching the best options available and set aside a significant budget to get what you need. In case you can’t manage these expenses, you might see limited opportunities with remote work, unless your company sets them up for you.

Working From Home or Hardly Working?

Working from home can help you develop digital literacy, improve your productivity, efficiency, and work-life balance, all of which can help you fast-track your career as the preference for this work model grows. That being said, you will need to find ways around the isolated nature and expensive setup costs that come with it. Doing so can help you go from hardly working to easily and flexibly working from