Ethical Visibility for Remote Workers

There’s a flip side to something I’ve been talking about recently. I’ve been focused on how managers need to work to overcome proximity bias by being intentional about teaching and mentoring opportunities and communicating with team members. I stand by everything I’ve said about managers but there is also a flip side to it. As a remote employee, you also have a responsibility to intentionally let your boss and your team know what you’re doing.

This one is a little harder for me because letting people know what I’ve been up to sounds an awful lot like self-promotion. I’ve never been super comfortable with people who are constantly promoting themselves and what they do. I certainly don’t want to become known for promoting myself all the time. The difference between the two was actually the subject of two episodes of the Work-Life Podcast earlier this year, and I thought the discussion between Wayne Turmel and Marisa Eikenberry was a fantastic exploration of the difference between being ethically visible (I stole the term from them, it’s that good!) and bragging.

So rather than try and explain it myself, check out both episodes. It’s worth it to consider how to be a remote employee but still make sure people see you, think about you, and recognize how engaged you are in the work.

There are more than a few tips in there, but I’d love to hear yours as well. How do you remain visible without crossing over into the world of blatant self-promotion?

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