eISSN: 3087-4041 editor@aimjournals.com
All Journals
Submit your article

The Pinnacle Research Journal of Scientific and Management Sciences

Open Access Peer Review International
Open Access

Remote Working and Career Development in the Information Technology Sector: A Conceptual Reassessment of Skill Formation, Visibility, and Progression

DOI https://doi.org/10.55640/tprjsms-v03i05-01
PDF
Oluwanifesimi Ibikunle 1 ORCID iD , Temiloluwa Ajibade 1 , Olumuyiwa Abiodun 1 ORCID iD , Fidelis Evwiekpamare Olori 1 , Oluwafemi Emmanuel Ooju 1 ORCID iD , Eddy Eidenehi Esezobor 1 ORCID iD , Okuma Oke Deborah 1 , Kennedy Oberhiri Obohwemu 1 ,
4 MSc, Department of Project Management, Faculty of Business and Law, University of Northampton, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research and Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD, Health Business School, Health Science University, London, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research and Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD, Department of Business Management, Scholars School System, Leeds Trinity University Partnership, Birmingham Campus, United Kingdom.
4 PhD, Faculty of Business Management, Oxford Brookes University, GBS Partnership, Birmingham, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research and Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 MHPM, World Health Organisation, Abuja, Nigeria; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research and Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD, Department of Management Studies, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), Murcia, Spain; and PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
4 MA, Department of Human Resource Management, Teeside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom; and Department of Interdisciplinary Research and Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
4 PhD, Department of Interdisciplinary Research and Statistics, PENKUP Research Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Abstract

Remote working has reshaped how careers unfold in knowledge-intensive sectors, particularly within information technology. While much of the literature emphasises employee satisfaction and wellbeing, far less attention has been paid to how remote working influences career development, skill acquisition, and perceived progression. This paper develops a conceptual reassessment of career outcomes under remote working conditions, arguing that remote work simultaneously expands access to developmental opportunities while constraining visibility, signalling, and informal learning. Drawing on Human Capital Theory and Social Exchange Theory, the paper conceptualises career development as a socially embedded and structurally mediated process rather than a purely individual outcome. It proposes that remote working alters three critical mechanisms of career progression: skill formation, career visibility, and access to developmental relationships. The paper contributes to the literature by offering a theoretically grounded framework that explains why remote working enhances career development for some employees while inhibiting it for others, particularly within the IT sector. Implications are discussed for organisational design, leadership practice, and future research.

Keywords

Remote working, career development, skill acquisition, IT sector, human capital, career progression

References

Alexander, R. (2023). Spatialising careership: towards a spatio-relational model of career development. British Journal of sociology of Education, 44(2), 291-311.
Anselmann, S. (2022). Trainers’ learning conditions, informal and formal learning and barriers to learning. Journal of Workplace Learning, 34(8), 742-764.
Asher, D., & Popper, M. (2021). Eliciting tacit knowledge in professions based on interpersonal interactions. The Learning Organization, 28(6), 523-537.
Baldonado, F. R. (2026). The Effectiveness and Adaptability of Servant Leadership Among Project Managers Managing Highly Complex Projects in Emerging Technology Domains.
Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital. University of Chicago Press.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. Wiley.
Beier, M. E., Saxena, M., Kraiger, K., Costanza, D. P., Rudolph, C. W., Cadiz, D. M., ... & Fisher, G. G. (2025). Workplace learning and the future of work. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 18(1), 84-109.
Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2024). Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance. Nature, 630(8018), 920-925.
Camp, K. M., Young, M., & Bushardt, S. C. (2022). A millennial manager skills model for the new remote work environment. Management Research Review, 45(5), 635-648.
Carillo, K., Cachat-Rosset, G., Marsan, J., Saba, T., & Klarsfeld, A. (2021). Adjusting to epidemic-induced telework: Empirical insights from teleworkers in France. European Journal of Information Systems, 30(1), 69-88.
Chaudhuri, S., Ghosh, R., & Park, S. (2022). The missing voices of learning and development professionals: Factors influencing formal and informal practices of reverse mentoring. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 34(4), 14-30.
Chekwa, C. (2018). Don't be left out-fostering networking opportunities to reduce workplace isolation among ethnic employees in remote settings. Journal of Competitiveness Studies, 26(3/4), 217-235.
Choudhury, P., Foroughi, C., & Larson, B. (2021). Work‐from‐anywhere: The productivity effects of geographic flexibility. Strategic Management Journal, 42(4), 655-683.
Collet, C., Hine, D., & Du Plessis, K. (2015). Employability skills: perspectives from a knowledge-intensive industry. Education+ Training, 57(5), 532-559.
Fagerholm, F., Hellas, A., Luukkainen, M., Kyllönen, K., Yaman, S., & Mäenpää, H. (2018). Designing and implementing an environment for software start-up education: Patterns and anti-patterns. Journal of Systems and Software, 146, 1-13.
Franken, E., Bentley, T., Shafaei, A., Farr-Wharton, B., Onnis, L. A., & Omari, M. (2021). Forced flexibility and remote working: Opportunities and challenges in the new normal. Journal of management & organization, 27(6), 1131-1149.
Haque, S. M. S. (2023). The impact of remote work on hr practices: navigating challenges, embracing opportunities. European Journal of Human Resource Management Studies, 7(1).
Haruna, D. O., Deborah, O. O., Soni, J., Fard, J. K., Ituah, F., Esezobor, E. E., ... & Aririsukwu, O. C. (2026). Employee-Perceived Organisational Flexibility and Its Influence on Job Satisfaction in Hybrid Work Settings. Emerging Indexing of Global Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(2), 06-24.
Hinds, R., Valentine, M., DeCelles, K., & Berg, J. M. (2026). Virtually even: status equalizing in distributed organizations. Organization Science, 37(1), 132-156.
Ibikunle, O., Ajibade, T., Obohwemu, K. O., Falade, C. A., Kachitsa, C. L., Akinmade, O. V., ... & Ituah, F. (2026). Remote Working and Employee Satisfaction in the Information Technology Sector: A Conceptual Reappraisal Grounded in Wellbeing and Work Experience. International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Development, 3(02), 6-14.
Kalas, P., & Raisinghani, L. (2019). Assessing the Impact of Community-Based Experiential Learning: The Case of Biology 1000 Students. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 31(2), 261-273.
Khan, W. A., & Minghai, Y. (2026). Career Development Patterns in the Service Industry amid Technological Advancement and Its Implications for Human Resource Management. Journal of Organizational and Human Resource Development Strategies, 3(01), 45-58.
Kram, K. E. (2022) Seeking Support from Multiple Developers: Assessing Optimal Structure, Content, Antecedents, and Outcomes of Developmental Networks. HRD Perspectives on Developmental Relationships, 467.
Kutsyuruba, B., Walker, K. D., Stasel, R. S., & Makhamreh, M. A. (2019). Developing resilience and promoting well-being in early career teaching. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue canadienne de l'éducation, 42(1), 285-321.
Matli, W. (2020). The changing work landscape as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic: insights from remote workers life situations in South Africa. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 40(9-10), 1237-1256.
Neelen, M., & Kirschner, P. A. (2020). Evidence-informed learning design: Creating training to improve performance. Kogan Page Publishers.
Niazi, M., Mahboob, U., Shaheen, N., Gul, S., Saeed, M. H. B., & Kiyani, A. (2024). Exploring the factors affecting career progression in informal faculty mentoring sessions within mentor and mentee relationships: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 1242.
Radovan, M. (2024). Workplace flexibility and participation in adult learning. Sustainability, 16(14), 5950.
Raghuram, S., Hill, N. S., Gibbs, J. L., & Maruping, L. M. (2019). Virtual work: Bridging research clusters. Academy of Management Annals, 13(1), 308-341.
Ragins, B. R., & Verbos, A. K. (2017). Positive relationships in action: Relational mentoring and mentoring schemas in the workplace. In Exploring positive relationships at work (pp. 91-116). Psychology Press.
Roberto, R., Penna, M., Felici, B., & Rao, M. (2023). Smart working and flexible work arrangements: opportunities and risks for sustainable communities. In Intelligent environments (pp. 243-283). North-Holland.
Sjöberg, P., & Hall, J. (2021). Future strategies for remote working in an era of accelerated transformation. Journal of Digital Banking, 6(2), 130-139.
Suh, Y. J., & Kim, K. J. (2025). A Multilevel Integrated Review on Age Diversity in the Workplace: A Focus on Age Differences in Dyads, Groups, and Organizations. Work, Aging and Retirement, waaf021.
Tomlinson, J., Baird, M., Berg, P., & Cooper, R. (2018). Flexible careers across the life course: Advancing theory, research and practice. Human Relations, 71(1), 4-22.
van Houten, M. M. (2023). Professional tacit knowledge sharing in practice. Agency, boundaries, and commitment. Journal of Workplace Learning, 35(9), 197-217.
Waizenegger, L., McKenna, B., Cai, W., & Bendz, T. (2020). An affordance perspective of team collaboration and enforced working from home during COVID-19. European journal of information systems, 29(4), 429-442.
Wang, W., Albert, L., & Sun, Q. (2020). Employee isolation and telecommuter organizational commitment. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 42(3), 609-625.
Wickramasekara, C., Jannat, S. A., Nuka-Nwikpasi, K., Mariere, U. I., Haruna, D. O., Ituah, F., ... & Aririsukwu, O. C. (2026). Pedagogical Disruption and Lecturer Preparedness During Emergency Online Teaching: Evidence from Sri Lankan Higher Education. European Index Library of Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Fundamentals, 6(02), 6-13.
Yang, L., Holtz, D., Jaffe, S., Suri, S., Sinha, S., Weston, J., ... & Teevan, J. (2022). The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers. Nature human behaviour, 6(1), 43-54

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1-10 of 19

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.