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If you work fully or mostly remotely and have colleagues who work mostly in the office, you may be reducing your career opportunities. That’s because of something called proximity bias. 42% of managers admitted they sometimes forget about remote workers when assigning tasks, according to a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey. And this study from the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that even though remote workers are 15% more productive on average than their in-person peers, they get promoted less frequently.
Despite those stark findings, there are things you can do if you work mostly remotely to make sure you still get those plum assignments and are remembered when it is time to land that ideal promotion.
1. Make the most of online meetings
Meetings have always been among the best places to build your personal brand by impacting and influencing others. In-person meetings provide the most potential value. Although many people don’t treat virtual meetings with the same level of import as those that take place in the conference room, they’re actually doubly important—especially for those who are mostly remote. Become skilled at leading and participating in a way that’s magnetic, mesmerizing and memorable.
2. Maximize in-person opportunities
Learning programs, team meetings, all-hands events and other live, in-person activities give you the opportunity to connect with others more viscerally. That means you need to build your strategic plan for who you will meet and what your objectives will be. Don’t take these real-world human connections for granted.
3. Create in-person impact
Don’t wait for in-person events to entice you into the office; instead, create those events. Commit to being in the office at least once a month. Of course, don’t just show up. Show up with an agenda and series of brief meetings for connecting with your stakeholders. If you go to the office and stay locked in an office, you’re missing the whole point of being onsite.
4. Use rich media, especially video
The 26 letters of the English alphabet (or however many letters there are in your alphabet) are anemic. But images and especially video are powerful ways to inspire and engage. Before sharing any communication with colleagues you don’t see in person, ask yourself if video is the right medium. You can use video to deliver project status updates or even as the executive summary for larger documents.
5. Have frequent, short one-on-ones with your boss
If you’re self-motivated and self-sufficient, you may not need a lot of guidance from your boss, but often that makes you invisible—no matter how indispensable you are. How can you solve the conundrum that your boss is busy, so you don’t want to become a burden, but you also can’t afford to go into hiding? The solution: ask your boss for regular micro-meetings that last just 10-15 minutes. Then you stay top-of-mind without being labeled “needy.”
6. Build a fan club of in-office colleagues
When you can’t be there in person, have your biggest at-the-office fans build your brand for you. That will happen when you develop the habit of supporting and acknowledging your colleagues and committing to consistently deliver value to the team and organization. We all know the power of testimonials and endorsements. Build your brand while you aren’t in the office by growing and enlisting your fanbase. And as a bonus, your fans can keep you current on what’s happening at the office.
Remote work can seduce you into hanging a “do not disturb” sign and enjoying hyper-productive days with no interruptions. Don’t fall for that career-stalling trap. Take the initiative to stay vocal, visible and valuable to your colleagues in the office, zooming your way up the ladder just as fast as them.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of the Personal Brand Power Audit - a complimentary quiz that helps you measure the strength of personal brand.
