Does Remote Work Really Stunt Your Career?

Imagine quitting your 9-5 office job and immediately ruining your career.

The leap from office to remote work is getting wider.

There are fewer higher paying remote jobs available (Ladders), and a flurry of ‘new’ studies that say remote work is career suicide.

And no-one wants to risk the hard work they’ve already invested.

Trouble is that remote work isn’t the trap – it’s the office you need to watch out for.

Think of your career as an Olympic race.

The office keeps you on a familiar track, running the same laps day in and day out. It’s predictable, secure, and comfortable - but also limiting.

Fully remote work, on the other hand, gives you the freedom to chart your own course. Sure, it’s more challenging, demanding self-discipline and resilience.

But this freedom allows you to set your own pace, explore new terrains, and unlock performance opportunities that the office track can never offer.

The race might be tougher, but the rewards are far greater.

There has been no better time in human history to escape the rat race and embrace a new way to work. One that redefines success, without stunting your prospects.

Make no mistake: this is the rat race rebellion.

In this article I’m going to show you that remote work not only frees you from the office, but it gives you access to growth opportunities you will simply never get if you stay. 

Your career hangs in the balance – here’s what you need to know.

Remote Work Limits Career Advancement (Or Does It?)

You’ve heard it before.

“Remote work is too risky”

“It limits your chances for growth”

“It’s like gambling with your career.”

At the office you have a secure paycheck. Reliable promotion paths. And peace-of-mind knowing that you can hustle in person for that big next step in your career.

Companies that favor hybrid and office work say:

• Remote workers are 38% less likely to get bonuses
• Remote workers work 50% more overtime than in-office workers
• Remote workers get fewer opportunities over time

And what about the Wall Street Journal article that surfaced 2024 survey findings that remote workers get fewer promotions and less mentorship? Ouch.

Verdicts in: If you work remotely in some parts of the world, your career is going to take a knock. Less money, less opportunity and more work?

Who has time for that?

You’re better off staying in your poorly paid position, working yourself to death for the promise of advancement sometime in the future (maybe).

Well, that doesn’t make sense.

These studies were conducted in 2019, then resurfaced (and reconstituted) into a *new remote work study from Alliance Virtual Offices in 2023.

And the WSJ article is aimed at hybrid work. In fully remote environments everyone is connecting remotely 100% of the time.

There is no hidden in-person favoritism to stress about.

So, saying remote work is the reason your career won’t advance is like saying the stock market is responsible for your investment losses, or your coffee table is to blame for your stubbed toe.

These days the US Career Institute has different stats.

• 63% of remote workers don’t think remote will help or hurt their career
• 18% of remote workers believe it will help their careers
• 19% believe in will negatively impact their careers

It’s easy to see why a lot of people are still confused about remote work.

Moving from what you know to something new, is scary.

Going against what most people do, is a risk.

Rebelling against ‘what is’ takes courage.

And the first place you look for answers doesn’t help. And that’s because remote work goes against the status quo. It invites those daring souls to do it.

To run off the beaten track.

How Quitting Leads to Career Greatness

Did you know that according to Pew Research:

• Low pay (63%)
• No opportunities for advancement (63%)
• Feeling disrespected at work (57%)

…were all reasons office workers quit their jobs a few years ago.

And 50% of people in the US this year want to find something better!

Pssst – that’s HIGHER than the amount of people who wanted to leave during the Great Resignation of 2021. And those numbers really hit me hard.

Why are people switching jobs, but still miserable?

And the conclusion I arrived at was that many workers are bold enough to leave, but not brave enough to pursue highly valuable remote work. It’s easier to reduce the risk, by getting another – better – office job, or a hybrid job – or even a local remote job.

But they don’t pay well enough. And they keep you on the wrong track.

Remote Work: Global vs Local – Which is Right?

A while ago we conducted a survey on LinkedIn and asked people if they’d prefer to work globally or locally. 

With a massive 68,470 respondents weighing in, we learned that 71% of people would rather work global, and only 10% want to work locally.

Globally remote work is the toughest of all, sure – but it’s also the most rewarding.

Local remote work comes with strings (where to live, when to meetup, when to work).

• The higher your flexibility – the higher your freedom.

Surely the goal with remote work is to achieve your highest state of work freedom?

It seems like most people realize that fully remote work is the best alternative to the office rat race. But they aren’t willing to pursue it with everything they’re got.

Steven Barlett said: Contrary to popular opinion, quitting is for winners. Knowing when to quit, change direction, leave a toxic situation, demand more from life, give up on something that wasn’t working and move on, is a very important skill that people who win at life all seem to have.

Quitting is a tool for growth but like most things – it can be half-assed.

When you want to change the way you work, you won’t be happy when you settle for a faster wheel in another type of rat race.

Your career could be great – but let’s clarify how.

Rebelling Against the Rat Race

• Quit the current WAY you work, not just your job
• Focus on becoming a high performing remote worker

Remember the fun term ‘rat race?’

It was the quintessential definition of how to achieve career success back in the eighties and nineties.

• Climbing that competitive corporate ladder
• Securing that big corporate office and fancy title
• Status symbols like cars, houses and expensive clothes
• Strict hierarchical structures that separate bosses from workers

Success also meant being at the office 24/7, never seeing family. Working long, relentless and often thankless hours. Commuting half your free time away. All for the hope that one day when you’re old, you can reap some reward.

Not much has changed since then.

The rat race rebellion destroys that old architype and replaces it with a new definition of success.

• Flexibility over your time and how you spend it
• Autonomy over how you work, where you work, and when
• A truly healthy work-life balance defined by individual needs
• Output over presence means delivery is more important
• Skill-building over unnecessary in-person mentoring

Above all, success means meaningful work, making a positive impact and living every day with the rewards of NOW.

Your career needs to be redefined in terms of this new kind of success.

3 Ways to Become a High Performing Remote Worker

Sounds great, right?

But as I mentioned earlier, remote jobs that pay well are scarce. If you really do want to quit your office gig, and be a massively successful remote worker – you must embrace the practices that create high performers.

High performing remote workers are ALWAYS in-demand.

1. Skill-building With Purpose

What sets high performers apart from the average remote worker is their ability to upskill. 

Continuous learning and adaptability are central to their careers. They work on hard skills and soft skills. Whatever they do, they add value and can figure things out.

• Since 2015 job skills have changed by 25%, by 2027 this will double.

2. Implements Constructive Feedback

Work only reaches the top echelons if it’s admired or appreciated by those in your team. 

The ability to accept and implement constructive feedback (not just in one project but continuously) makes top performers uniquely appealing wherever they work.

• 96% of employees say regular feedback is key to performance.
• 46% of people say it’s easier to build relationships remotely than in-office.

3. Seeks Professional Growth Opportunities

Going to a seminar, joining a workshop online, reading industry-related books, blogs and podcasts – these are the habits of modern-day top performers. 

They become magnets for growth, because their mindset is aimed at self-fulfillment.

• Top performers read up to 4 books a month.

The Office Stunts Your Career

You’ll notice many of the habits top performing remote workers have embraced are the logical solutions to the problems of self-directed career advancement.

So, when you read things like:

• Out of sight, out of mind – remote workers are invisible to their bosses
• Remote work limits valuable relationships that results in promotions
• Lack of mentoring leaves remote workers behind

You’re seeing people stuck in the rat race mindset, boggled by a circular track that feigns progress. They are blind to the real opportunity in front of them.

The Olympics of Work

We want the highest performing remote workers – but so many people won’t go the extra mile to quit what they know, and truly invest in what they want. 

But we’re on your side, and we’ll keep calling for you until you find us.

(Ready to apply? Find your role here)

Decide what it is you want, and where you want your career to go.

If it’s fully remote work, then leave your lazy office mindset behind.

Be calm, think clearly and work for a fulfilled life every single day. The weight of remote work is heavy, but so are the rewards. And they’re so much better than running towards a future that never happens.

The office is a career catastrophe disguised as a comfort zone.

Don’t believe the MYTH that remote work stunts your career!

But do realize that to embark on the remote journey, means running on a new track. You’ll have to reject the constraints of the office and seize the flexibility to balance work with life, prioritize meaningful projects, and continuously upskill.

The office environment, with its rigid structures and in-person favoritism, stifles true potential and innovation.

Remote work instead -  demands courage, adaptability, and a proactive mindset -qualities that distinguish the mediocre from the exceptional.

So, stop chasing that elusive office promotion and start building a career that offers genuine fulfilment and growth. It’s what you really want.

The greatest achievements come from breaking free from restrictive norms and daring to pursue the unknown.

And just like Olympians who reach for greatness by pushing their limits, your career can achieve unprecedented heights WHEN you embrace both the freedom and challenges of fully remote work.

Go for gold.