I’ve had a carrot dangling over my head for a while at work. Well, more precisely, the promise to return me to a full-time salary.

It’s a 40 percent pay bump, so I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise it. The paperwork is in, I’ve been told. It’ll be a matter of days or weeks, was some other feedback. We just need the new (insert executive level title here) to sign off and it’s yours. Basically, hang in there. 

I’m not a sucker. I know there’s a good chance this won’t get over the line, since I’ve been doing a perfectly good job with my workload on less days. But without many resume bites on the small number of senior positions I’ve come across that suit my experience, I’ve been feeling more and more invested in this promise paying off. 

And my question is: how does the decision to work remotely play into this? 

My workplace is one that values bums in seats. And while company-wide internal-comms  have been fast to discuss the idea of flexible working, the culture for many remains one of face-time mattering as much as productivity. And so I feel that if I don’t show up often enough, it might work against me. Unfortunately research backs this up.

Studies have shown that managers consistently view in-office workers as being more productive and higher-performers. They get more promotions. And money. Of course, frustratingly, data also backs up what we all know: people at home will usually work even harder than they do at work to avoid this stigma.

What works best for me? Like many working mothers, remote working is the silver-lining of the pandemic. Yes, of course, it was bloody hard and I came close to resigning on more than one occasion when home-schooling began to bite. But now that the kids are back at school, it’s a dream. 

The truth is that I am facing what is becoming a career divide. Research shows that people without children under 18 were three times more likely to prefer going back into the office. And everyone else wants to be remote part of the time, with almost a quarter of female caretakers preferring to be fully remote. 

All of which means that even though flexible work is a pressure-release valve in terms of the juggle, it could leave many women treading water with stagnating salaries and career trajectories. Sigh. 

Some things that can help: have an in-office colleague who has your back. I have a senior colleague who has saved the day on more than one occasion when a meeting has started and I missed the calendar ping. If you’re going for a new job, look for a workplace where managers have also embraced flexible working. And ask about communication systems and regular meetings that ensure everyone has a voice, even the remote ones. 

Ultimately, as frustrating as it might be, embracing remote work for many could still be a career-limiting move. Which is why choosing who you work for is going to become just as important as the roles you take, as we all strive to find work that works.