A lot has been written and said about when and how often workers will come back to offices.

Employee satisfaction and shorter commute times are often cited as reasons for companies to adopt more flexible policies. Still, these remote working policies could leave some workers left out, according to one observer. In the process, companies could hinder their ESG goals.

On CBRE's "The Weekly Take" podcast, Brad Bell, William J. Conaty professor and director of the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies at Cornell University, says that research shows that employees who work remotely experience some potential drawbacks, including not getting promoted as quickly. He attributed this to them "not being top of mind." Because of that, "they're maybe not getting the same types of experiences, assignments as their coworkers that are in the office and are right there in front of their manager."