In the March edition of HR Magazine, Kathy Gurchiek (associate editor for HR News) tells us that executives who work from home are more productive. But there is a drawback — doing so can hold back one’s career. This according to a Trends @ Work quiz conducted last fall.

Twenty-two percent of those participating in this study said they prefer working from home. But the downfall for home-based workers is the “out of sight, out of mind” dilemma.

Gurchiek quotes Annemarie Segaric, a career coach based in New York City, who says, “an employee who is not as productive as a telecommuter… but is available for whatever comes up at the moment is more likely to be put on the fast-track simply because they’re visible.”

Rather sad, I think, that people place visibility ahead of excellence. But for those willing to sacrifice advancement to place emphasis on family and other life priorities, telecommuting is probably an excellent option–for both the company (higher-quality work) and the worker.

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Filed in Business, Opinion, Motivation, Management, Leadership