Taking charge of your remote-first career progression
Remote work has opened up huge opportunities—whether that’s swapping the commute for a walk on the beach or working for companies you could never have reached locally. But one thing many people don’t talk about is how working remotely changes the way careers progress. It can be harder to be noticed, to get promoted, or to build relationships with mentors and leadership. The risks of proximity bias—where those physically present get ahead—are real, especially in hybrid workplaces.
But that doesn’t mean career progression stops when you go remote. The key difference is that you have to take ownership of it. Just as remote workers need to be proactive about setting boundaries and creating social connections, they also need to be deliberate about career development. In fact, when approached with the right mindset, remote work can even accelerate career growth.
Here’s how to overcome the risks, take charge of your development, and create new career opportunities as a remote worker.
Why remote workers risk missing out on career progression
There’s a lot of freedom in remote work—but that freedom can also mean fewer natural opportunities to shine. Managers may not see your day-to-day contributions, and casual conversations that lead to projects and promotions are harder to come by when you’re not in the room.
Research from organisations like Harvard Business Review and GitLab’s Remote Work Report highlight that remote workers can suffer from “out of sight, out of mind” bias, especially in hybrid workplaces where some people are in the office.
What is proximity bias?
Proximity bias happens when managers and decision-makers unconsciously favour employees they see regularly. If someone is in the office, they may get more opportunities simply because they are visible.
This is not limited to remote work, incidentally - it’s been a discrimination risk historically along many dimensions, from the golf course to private members clubs. Colleagues with different demographics or lifestyles, such as a single parent who never attends the after work drinks because of their domestic responsibilities, can easily be overlooked when it’s time to think about who to consider for advancement.
Even if remote workers are highly productive, they might miss out on promotions, high-profile projects, or even informal mentorship opportunities because they aren’t physically present.
But while this bias is real, it’s not a reason to accept career stagnation. Once you’re aware of it, you can take steps to stay visible, build influence, and ensure your contributions are recognised.
Taking ownership: why career growth is your responsibility
For many remote workers, career progression looks different. There’s no manager at your shoulder, no watercooler networking. So the responsibility to advocate for yourself, seek growth opportunities, and stay visible falls largely on you.
That might feel unfair—especially if you believe your work should speak for itself. But remote work gives you more autonomy in other areas too. Just as you’re responsible for managing your time, setting boundaries, and structuring your workday, you also need to take ownership of career development.
When done well, this can be empowering. You’re no longer limited to “being noticed” by whoever happens to walk past your desk. You can build influence across your organisation—and beyond—using digital tools and deliberate strategies.
Strategies for career progression while working remotely
If you’re ready to take control of your own remote career, here are some strategies to explore and embed into how you show up at work:
Communicate more than you think you need to
If you’re not physically present, your work needs to speak through your communication. This doesn’t mean spamming everyone, but being intentional about sharing what you’re working on, your achievements, and your ideas.
📢 Use team messaging apps to share updates—not just in direct messages, but in public channels where leadership can see your contributions.
📢 Show up and show your working in collaboration tools and documents. Add value where you can, but make sure it’s visible!
📢 Celebrate wins and lessons learned, even if they’re small - and there’s a lesson in everything which didn’t turn out as planned, right?
📢 Be proactive in suggesting solutions to problems - don’t wait to be asked.
📢 Share credit and acknowledge others’ contributions to build goodwill.
Tip: If your team has regular standups or updates, treat these as opportunities to highlight progress and showcase leadership—even if you’re not in a formal leadership role.
Build relationships intentionally
Networking doesn’t happen by accident when you’re remote. You need to schedule time to build relationships, both within and outside your team.
💁🏻♀️ Set up regular one-to-one catch-ups with managers, peers, and mentors. Don’t wait for them to reach out, but observe team or individual practices and expectations about the best way to connect (e.g. scheduled weekly office hours.)
💁🏻♀️ Join cross-functional projects or committees where you can meet people beyond your team. Yes, this means volunteering for more work!
💁🏻♀️ Make certain your profiles are consistent and complete, across all tools that your organisation uses. For example, using the same professional profile picture across your messaging platform, project management system, collaboration tools, etc. - this all helps to establish your personal brand equity. Where possible, include additional information sources and trails for anyone casually clicking through to your profile (e.g. add your LinkedIn profile to your Slack profile)
💁🏻♀️ Participate actively in online company communities or informal chats - be a familiar name and face. Even if you’re just there to listen and learn, you are there… and you will soon have something valuable to say.
💁🏻♀️ Attend company retreats or offsites when offered, and participate as fully as you can (even volunteering some logistical support if you can, to maximise contacts and exposure.) Take advantage of each chance to bond in person.
Tip: Approach networking as relationship-building, not just career climbing. People promote and recommend those they know and trust.
Ask for feedback and career conversations
Don’t wait for annual reviews. Ask for regular feedback to understand how others see your work—and what you need to improve to reach the next level.
Every organisation has its protocols, and you might need to do this formally, such as by requesting quarterly or biannual career development chats with your manager, so you can ask specific questions like, “What would I need to demonstrate to be considered for a promotion in the next year?”
It’s also worth bearing in mind that some managers are still inexperienced in shaping and leading distributed teams, and may be less proactive and spontaneous about giving feedback outside of formal review sessions. But there’s nothing wrong with asking for it when it would be helpful to you. If you develop a reputation of being someone who is open to feedback and always ready to learn and improve, you’ll attract valuable insights to build your career and your relationships, especially if you seek feedback from multiple people, not just your line manager.
Tip: Keep a record of positive feedback and achievements to refer back to in reviews and promotion discussions (or when you just need to read it, on a tough day. Because those happen in any career.)
Take ownership of learning and development
When you’re remote, you may miss out on informal learning—so you need to be proactive. This is great news, because it’s a new opportunity to differentiate yourself professionally.
👩🏽🎓 Set learning goals each year (courses, certifications, projects). You can discuss these with your line manager, at least as they related to business goals (though you may have additional goals of your own.)
👩🏽🎓 Use your company’s training budget if available. Ask for it if not (and bring this up at your next job interview, obviously!)
👩🏽🎓 Seek out stretch projects to build new skills - win-win if you get to work with new people and develop your professional contacts
👩🏽🎓 Join online communities or industry groups relevant to your role.
Tip: Share what you’re learning with your team to demonstrate growth and add value, and/or share more widely - blog about your lessons, post on LinkedIn, reflect on and demonstrate your lifetime learning and capacity building.
Use visibility tools to your advantage
Ironically, remote tools can make you more visible than in an office—if you use them well.
🗣️ Contribute thoughtfully to Slack/Teams discussions.
🗣️ Share progress on tools like Notion, Jira, or project management platforms.
🗣️ Present in all-hands meetings or offer to lead sessions.
🗣️ Use LinkedIn to share insights and showcase your expertise to your wider network. And be sure to engage in conversations with thought leaders in your industry / your future boss(!)
Upside: Digital communication allows you to sidestep traditional gatekeepers, reaching decision-makers directly.
In a traditional office building, it might be physically difficult to get near the people who matter - private offices, assistants who manage their diary and literally sit outside their door, etc.
But, if you’re all in a Slack team together, there might well be times when a direct message approach is not inappropriate - just ensure you keep it in line with protocol, expectations, relevance, and tone.
And you can always comment, react, etc., to anything they happen to share more widely.
Turning the virtual tables: How remote work can BOOST your career progression
Remote work may create some career barriers—but also breaks down others, and opens up meaningful opportunity for those ready to take advantage of it. Here are some unexpected upsides:
🧨 You’re no longer limited to opportunities in your city—you can work for top companies worldwide.
🧨 Remote-first companies often have flatter hierarchies, meaning quicker routes to leadership, as well as ease of connection.
🧨 Digital work creates a written track record of your contributions—easier to showcase than informal office conversations. Just make sure you own it and control it, so it moves with you
🧨 You can build a personal brand across your industry more easily—via LinkedIn, blogs, or communities.
For those willing to take ownership, remote work can actually accelerate your career beyond what might be possible in a traditional office.
Final thoughts: Career growth is part of owning the remote lifestyle
Remote work offers freedom, but also asks for responsibility. Just as you’re in charge of setting boundaries, creating social connections, or designing your day, you’re in charge of how your career grows. That means being proactive about visibility, learning, and building relationships—even if your company doesn’t offer much formal support.
If you approach remote work with a mindset of ownership, your career can flourish—on your own terms, without being tied to an office or geography.