Social interaction isn't just good for productivity; face time in the office can be important for your career.
A January 2007 survey of 1,300 executives found that 61 percent believed telecommuters were less likely to advance—even though three-fourths said virtual workers were just as productive as their in-office colleagues.
Psychologist Judith Olson thinks she knows why: Employers tend to have better relationships with employees who are around in person. Your boss wants to be able to glance into your office and see that you're on task, and is more likely to invite you to an educational seminar or an after-work advice session if she can bump into you in the hall. Managers, in fact, say they spend up to 70 percent of their time in informal, unplanned, face-to-face interactions.
The face-time bias can make it hard for employees to balance their work lives with their home lives, especially if they're also giving care to a child or an elder. A landmark study by Cornell University in 2006 found that given two nearly identical middle-management job applicants, the one whose resume indicated she was a mother was called in for an interview only half as often. The study found that the "ideal worker" was someone who "devotes enormous hours to 'face time' at work"—and mothers are stereotyped as having other priorities.
