Collectively, practice valuing deliverables, collaboration, and innovation, as opposed to employee location. Notice when you might be falling into proximity bias, and redirect your focus to include those who contribute remotely. Instill an “excellence from anywhere culture”: First, help your organization openly acknowledge proximity bias as a potential issue.While these findings are problematic on many levels, managers - new or seasoned - can take steps to mitigate this bias. This may explain why remote workers get promoted less often than their peers, despite being 15% more productive on average. In a recent survey, 42% of managers said they sometimes forget about remote workers when assigning tasks.
The antiquated assumption that those who work from home are less productive than those who work from the office has given rise to “visibility” concerns.
