How Leaders Can Reduce Proximity Bias And Embrace Remote Workers

When so many jobs shifted to remote work, plenty of employees cheered the fact they could eliminate their commute and better manage their work-life balance.

But those positives also came with negatives, including a big one that could derail employees’ plans for career advancement: proximity bias.

Proximity bias is the tendency for bosses to show favoritism or give preferential treatment to employees who are closest to them physically. With proximity bias, managers end up making decisions about performance, promotions, and hiring based upon familiarity rather than objective criteria.

In a sense, it’s the old concept of “out of sight, out of mind” brought into the modern working world—much to the detriment of those employees who rarely or never make an actual physical appearance in the office.

But proximity bias doesn’t just harm workers. It’s also damaging to companies because they miss out on the opportunity to cultivate and reap the rewards of people who have much to offer the organization.

Fortunately, if you are leading a team that’s a mixture of remote, hybrid, and in-office workers, there are things you can do to mitigate, if not eliminate, your tendencies toward proximity bias.

● Don’t let the screen be a barrier to your relationship. It’s easy to hide behind a computer screen and offer little empathy or vulnerability in a video call. However, I recommend making a concerted effort to get to know team members on a personal level. Ask open-ended questions on topics that they care about and make a connection with them—even if the interaction is online. Empathy and vulnerability can be felt from screen to screen, office room to office room, and it pays dividends. Members of your team will feel more connected and understood, which will likely increase employee happiness and rapport.

● Make sure to include remote workers when plum assignments are handed out. One of the more crushing effects that proximity bias can have is when the most interesting projects, assignments, or development opportunities go to onsite employees. Talk about a morale deflator. It’s just one more example, though, of how managers can become focused on the people they have the most in-person interaction with. Make a conscious effort to recognize this as a problem and vow to consider those remote workers when desirable assignments come along.

● Arrange for mentoring. If you think remote and hybrid workers have not noticed the lack of attention leaders give them, you are wrong. The Gallup organization, which regularly measures employee engagement, found that remote and hybrid work is having some unsettling effects on career development, especially for workers younger than 35. Increasingly, they report they don’t feel anyone is encouraging their development at all. They are adrift without mentors to give them advice and act as sounding boards for their concerns and ambitions. Leaders need to be aware of this problem and address it. Yes, mentoring can be tricky with remote workers, but one thing leadership can do is make it a mission to schedule regular one-on-one check-ins to discuss how individual team members are doing professionally. Topics can include assessing their goals, interests, and exploring their professional development intentions. That would go a long way in alleviating their sense that no one is encouraging their development.

It’s no mystery that having facetime with decision-makers is crucial for career growth. In-office employees can more easily develop rapport with leadership while those working remotely must find more clever ways to achieve the same end.

But the outreach effort shouldn’t be one-sided. Leaders who understand the importance of fostering the growth of their entire team should make certain every employee is included—no matter how remote.