​It may be an extremely unpopular opinion, which ironically is contributing to the problem, but if you’re spending a lot of your time working from home there’s a good chance it could be holding back your career development.

Now this may come as a bit of a surprise to you because all you ever hear on LinkedIn is that remote-working is the best thing since sliced bread, but it’s important to note that social media “consensus” and “the real world”, often don’t align.

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You only have to look at how Trump recently walked the US election when social channels would have had you believe Harris was edging it. Or more poignantly to the industry I work in, how plant-based food manufacturers were being given tech-valuations only to go bump when the hashtag-vegan momentum didn’t translate into sales.

It’s always important to remember how social media algorithms work! They spot stuff that people find agreeable, then funnel content into timelines that people are more likely to interact with.

Have you ever seen an article that says, ‘get off your arse and get into the office’ and felt compelled to hit ‘like’ and ‘share’? Unlikely. But what if you see one that says, ‘work from your bed in the Bahamas and become CEO in 12 months doing a three-day-week’?

You may be an exception to the rule, but I bet you can guess which ‘opinion’ gains more traction?

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You just have to take a quick look at the origin of many of these uncontroversial “controversial posts” about how everyone should be trusted to be left completely to their own devices and businesses should thank them for it. They’re usually from social media marketing guru’s posting clickbait so they can show potential clients how they get posts to go viral… but it’s simply not reflective of the real world!

I get it, I know which narrative is more appealing to me. But I’m also a realist and I’ll forge my opinions based on the hundreds of conversations I have on a weekly basis which suggest to me that there is an overwhelming consensus amongst hiring managers and leaders that they want people in the office more.

Now don’t get me wrong, if this isn’t for you there are still lots of employers offering large amounts of flexibility, but it isn’t as popular as social media would have you believe, so if you decide that it’s an essential part of any job offering, it could be impeding your career progression in one way or another.