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Out of sight, out of promotion: workers worry distance affects prospects

4 July 2025

Over a third (36%) of European employees and 40% of UK employees worry that being ‘out of sight’ means being ‘out of mind’ when it comes to promotions

New research shows a growing wave of anxiety amongst office workers. As more firms order workers back to the office, more than a third (36%) of European workers worry that being 'out of sight' means that they are 'out of mind' when it comes to career progression or advancement opportunities, a figure which is even more pronounced in the UK (40%).

The research, conducted by global payroll and HR company Deel, reveals that workers may feel more forced to spend time in the office than they would like too. According to the data, European office workers believe that being fully remote would hurt their chances at promotion (38%), with UK workers feeling this most acutely (46%), closely followed by those working in Germany (41%).

It’s clear that in the UK, workers are planning their lives around their careers. Despite an eagerness to move further away from the office to live closer to family (30%), reduce rental or mortgage payments (33%) and to live closer to the countryside (36%), more than half of UK workers (52%) are still planning where they live based on proximity to the office.

In Europe, only 36% of workers said where their office was located had no bearing on where they chose to live, dwarfed by the 52% who said that living even an hour away would make them feel anxious.

According to platform data from Deel, workers' feelings around proximity to the office closely mirror hiring strategies. Last year, domestic hiring – hiring within the same country – on Deel’s platform grew 104%.

Tension brews between employees and bosses

In spite of these feelings, employees are open to compromise, and many say they're even happy to work across multiple time zones to meet their bosses’ demands. But the challenge is that business leaders are much less willing to flex.

60% of European business leaders surveyed cite a clear preference for hiring talent within their own time zone, whilst 58% would like them to live within a commutable distance from the office. Part of this stems from a sense of distrust, as 24% of business leaders don’t feel confident that cross-border workers would be willing to adjust to local hours.

This growing disconnect between worker flexibility and employer caution is creating a new challenge. Whilst 39% of business leaders admit that hiring talent closer to the office gives them greater control over their workforce, more than half (51%) acknowledge that this is making it harder to find the skills needed to fill open roles this year.

Dispelling the doubts of bosses, nearly two-thirds (61%) of European employees would be willing to start two or more hours earlier if it meant getting to work for a business in another region, with only slightly fewer (60%) saying the same about logging off two or more hours later.

Matt Monette, UK Country Manager at Deel, said: “Companies that struggle with local skill gaps can’t also be resistant to widening their hiring pools. If the right people aren’t in the same city, or even country, that’s no reason to discount how valuable their skills can be from afar. Given the willingness among workers to flex their working hours, bosses need to be taking advantage by looking beyond borders to fill crucial roles.

“Most importantly though, is instilling a culture of trust and recognition. Employees should not feel anxious about living far away from the office. Nor should they be worried that their hard work won’t be rewarded. The world of work is changing, and we need to empower teams to work hard, wherever they may be located, giving them the tools, mentorship and training that they need to succeed.”

You can read the full report here.

Copyright 2025. Made possible by Fight or Flight on behalf of Deel.
 

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