IBM president warns: working from home may affect career development and promotion opportunities

CTOnews.com May 7 News: Is working from home really bad for career development? Arvind Krishna, president of IBM, thinks so. While he doesn't force his employees back into the office, he said in an interview with Bloomberg that he believes employees who work remotely may face difficulties in promotion, especially those who want to take management positions.

"In the short term, you may have the same productivity, but your career does suffer," Krishna said. He also said employees who telecommute fail to learn skills that are typically acquired in face-to-face interactions, such as handling difficult customers.

Krishna, who has been IBM's president since 2020, encourages employees to return to the office three days a week. Nickel LaMoreaux, IBM's head of human resources, said in 2021 that most employees would return to the office on a part-time basis after the epidemic ended. The company says most IBM employees are close to company or customer locations and often collaborate face-to-face.

CTOnews.com notes that Krishna's comments come after IBM recently announced plans to slow or suspend hiring for jobs that could be replaced by AI. A company spokesman said earlier that the company did not suspend hiring across the board, but was more cautious in hiring.