White-Collar Career Advancement When Working From Home

Across the world, COVID-19 has driven millions of white-collar employees to work from home (WFH). Anticipated business benefits of WFH will likely compel employers to extend the work practice for several employees post-pandemic. WFH, by affecting job task execution, as well as opportunities to enhance and demonstrate capabilities, will hold implications for employee career advancement. In this context, a new model for career advancement is proposed, the competence career advancement model, comprising three cyclical stages (achieving, improving, and proving competence) based on the self-determination theory's psychological need for competence. The chapter covers job demands and resources that influence each stage of career advancement, as well as how these demands and resources are themselves affected under WFH conditions. Also discussed are the consequences of satisfaction/frustration through the stages of career advancement for worker well-being and work attitudes/outcomes. Human resource and technology practices to enable employee career advancement under WFH are suggested as well.