Workers who get in early and do overtime before the rest of their colleagues have arrived are much less likely to get recognition for their efforts than those who stay later in the evening after everyone else has gone home, a new surveyd has found.
MRINetwork has said it is simply a fact of office life that those who work late tend to earn more plaudits.
"Despite the fact that putting in the extra time – whether it be in the early hours of the morning or late at night – potentially leads to greater productivity, workplace early birds do not reap the same rewards, promotions or acknowledgements for their efforts," said MRINetwork president and chief executive Bill Olson.
"It's simply true that more notice is taken of people who work late than of people who come in early and as the nation's workforce continues to be reachable 24/7 on their blackberries and cell phones, employees can tend to forget the importance of putting in face time at the office," he added.
Sneaky strategies to ensure your going the extra mile gets recognised, whatever the time of day, include sending your boss an email at the time you are doing the work.
This might nominally be because you have a question or want to tell him or her about something, but is really to show that you have been working outside "normal" business hours.
Another tip is to ask your boss or line manager whether you require keys or a special security code to gain access to your offices at off-hours, suggested MRINetwork.
Simply telling your boss that you have put in that extra time and what you have been able to accomplish during those additional hours at the office will also raise your profile, it added. "Generally speaking, however, if you worry less about the kudos and make the most out of quiet, uninterrupted work time, you will ultimately be more productive, which is far more important to your manager in the long run," the organisation concluded.