“Proximity Bias”: It’s a Problem
January 24, 2024
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 27 percent of U.S. employees currently work from home, some full-time and some combining remote and on-site work. While most surveyed employees say that they would prefer to work from home if given the choice, a phenomenon called “proximity bias” is a hidden disadvantage facing remote workers.
Proximity bias is the favoring of on-site employees over those who work from home in regard to everything from hiring to performance evaluations to quality of work assignments to mentoring to raises and promotions. It is a common, albeit often unconscious, practice that is both counterproductive and unfair to those employees who work from home part or all of the time. It’s based on an assumption by management that on-site workers are more reliable and productive than remote ones, even when they have no evidence to support this belief. Surveyed managers admit to feeling that remote workers are generally less valuable and that they may overlook them when assigning tasks.
Proximity bias arises from the more easy connection we often have with those we share physical space with—and the “out of sight, out of mind” reality that faces employees who aren’t in the room. But it hinders organizations’ efforts to encourage inclusivity, team spirit, and employee satisfaction and retention. And as home-based work increases, continuing to disadvantage remote workers will only lead increasingly to an organization culture that lacks cohesion, common vision, and goodwill.
The role of HR professionals in combating proximity bias is an important one. They can, for instance:
- Encourage collaboration and communication between remote employees and managers,
- Establish ways of disseminating information that provide the same access for remote employees,
- Make managers aware of the importance of making opportunities for mentorship and advancement available in an equitable fashion, and
- Make sure that performance review protocols are consistent and objective for all employees, regardless of geography.
Awareness of proximity bias and the importance of addressing it is the first step toward a more equitable and inclusive environment for the increasing number of remote employees, and in 2024, HR departments will be on the front lines in the fight to overcome it.