Event Highlights: Proximity Bias – Being Visible when working Remotely

Jenny Garrett22nd February 2023

Covid Lockdown showed us that we can all work from home and be productive. But how does it play out when working remotely is not a necessity and some are doing so while others aren’t? 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. In a recent survey cited in HBR, 42% of managers said they sometimes forget about remote workers when assigning tasks. This may explain why remote workers get promoted less often than their peers, despite being 15% more productive on average. While these findings are problematic on many levels, managers — new or seasoned — can take steps to mitigate this bias.

During this session host by Jenny, with a panel of experienced executive coaches Martha, Carol and Sasi, all listed in the Diverse Coaching Directory, a directory which connects corporate organisations with coaches from ethnically diverse backgrounds, discussed strategies to combat proximity bias .

48% of those who attended said they had noticed proximity bias in their workplace, 15% said they hadn’t, and 37% were unsure.