Megan Alexander: Robert Half recruitment expert on whether working from home reduces promotion opportunities

Working from the office could set people up better for a promotion than working from home. 

Recruitment agency Robert Half says 58 percent of workers believe opportunities to advance correlate with office attendance. 

It says 54 percent would turn up more if it was needed to get promoted.

Managing director Megan Alexander says there is a mentality of out of sight, out of mind. 

She explained that relationship building is critical to climbing the career ladder - which is difficult when you're sitting at home not talking to anybody. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you're looking for a promotion, you should probably stop
working from home. A survey has been done by this
recruitment company, Robert Half. They've survey Kiwi employees and found
fifty eight percent of us reckon there's a correlation between
being in the office and then getting a promotion. Meghan
Alexander from Robert Half is with us a Meghan, Hi, Heather,
how are you very well? Thank you? Are they right?

(00:20):
Do you have to turn up to get the job?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, there's definitely a perception of that, and so I
guess is that out of sight, out of mind mentality?
Now you can agree or disagree, but I guess a
lot of the feedback that comes back from the employer
side is that you can do tasks at home, but
you can't add to the culture of an organization. You

(00:43):
can't necessarily collaborate and build relationships, and those are key
parts to getting promotions.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Is it that or is it actually that it just
looks lazy as well?

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Look, I think some people can absolutely do their job
from home. I think it does come down to job
dependent what your tasks are. But if you're looking for
career and climbing the ladder, you know, relationship building is
pretty critical, and that's pretty hard when you're sitting at
home not talking to anybody.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Fifty four This is what I think is bizarre. Okay,
fifty four percent of the people you guys surveyed said
they would come into the office more if they were
told by their bosses that being in the office would
lead to a promotion. I mean, surely you should just
read the room. You don't need to be told.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well, and look, employers are telling staff that they need
to get back to offices. You know, there's been a
very clear and distinct change in the last eighteen months,
and so employers are really demanding this and making people
come back. So you know, and we did a comparable
survey in Australia and interestingly enough, seventy four percent of

(01:53):
Australian employers believe the same thing, that there is a
correlation between promotion and being in the office. So you know,
if both parties are saying this, you would think common
sense would prevail, and.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yet we never cease to amaze and it doesn't prevail. Oh,
thank you, Meghan, I really appreciate a Meghan. Alexander Robert
half listen is as simple as do I need to
explain this to you. It's as simple as this. If
you can't be faft getting out of your dressing gown Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday, you're not going to get a promotion.
Are you? For more from hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen

(02:29):
live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio