Since remote and hybrid workplaces have been adopted, remote workers still have to contend with the hidden danger of location bias. When this happens, employees at the job location get more recognition, better performance reviews, or are offered more chances to move up compared to those who work off-site.
Organizations should adopt measures that give everyone equal opportunities, regardless of how close or far they are from the company’s offices. This guide will help you find and address close-bias to support equity, ensure higher productivity, and increase employee satisfaction.
If you head a team, work in HR, or do your job remotely, this article gives you the steps to ensure fairness and bring everyone together.
What Does the Term Location Bias Mean?
It means that we tend to favor individuals who are nearby instead of those who are not. At work, employees who spend time in the office are often given advantages, even if their performance is as good as other workers.
What Explains the Presence of Location Bias
Our brains are made to notice visual and social indications. If you are working at the office, you have greater chances to talk in passing with others, see your supervisors, and be seen by them. Eventually, teachers may unconsciously favor students who are easy for them to see.
These are some examples of location bias in the workplace.
| Employees who are present at the office receive more praise from their managers. |
| Office workers are getting offered more difficult assignments or promotions. |
| Employees working remotely are missing out on unplanned gatherings or meetings. |
| Detecting Location Bias |
| Be attentive to little details. |
| Do promotions favor employees in the office alone? |
| Are far-off employees communicating less frequently? |
| Do most managers give more attention to their in-office staff? |
| The first thing to do is find out these issues, as this will help you overcome Location Bias. |
Why Location Bias Should Be Addressed
If close relationships at work are favored, it can be risky for the business. Workers may feel bored, want to leave the company, and fail to think of new ideas.
Eliminate Location Bias to Create Equity
If everyone in a workplace is given the same opportunities, resources, and rewards, it will be considered equitable. Not overcoming location bias prevents the goal from being achieved.
Neglecting Location Bias Can Result In Negative Effects For The Organization
Those who do not overcome location bias in their organizations could experience:
- A lower proportion of remote workers stay in a company for a long period.
- Lower representation of people with different backgrounds among leaders.
- An environment in the workplace that promotes inequality.
- Efforts to reduce location bias in companies can ensure that hybrid and remote teams do not lose motivation, remain effective, and have trust in each other.
Overcoming Location Bias is Possible with Training in Management
Good leaders ensure that their culture includes efforts to overcome location bias. A manager should always consider the value of these strategies:
1. Make sure evaluation and feedback are done in a standard manner.
Measuring performance should be done the same way everywhere, regardless of the place. Establish firm KPIs and meet regularly with every team member, including those who aren’t in the office.
Tip: Use software like 15Five or Lattice to ensure everyone’s progress is recorded evenly and without showing any bias.
2. Work towards the same amount of visibility for all cultures.
Give everyone a chance to lead meetings, share responsibility for projects, and include employees who are not in the office in the discussion and decision-making stage.
Ensure every meeting includes video features and is recorded for later use by those who did not participate.
3. Encourage a way of working that emphasizes remote work.
It doesn’t mean that all employees work remotely; rather, remote work is the standard for every process.
This approach supports all people in communicating, collaborating, and gaining access to the company culture.
4. Make sure that managers are trained in inclusive leadership.
Arrange workshops and make resources that outline strategies to overcome unfair treatment between individuals who live close to each other. Ensure that all leaders at your company are trained to spot and address bias.
Cope with location bias by rethinking your approach, not just by making new policies.
Actions Employees Can Take to Cope with Location Bias
While adjusting an organization is necessary, individual remote employees have ways to overcome any bias caused by distance.
1. Ensure more people can see your store.
- Make sure you explain the purpose of your work. Inform your staff regularly, highlight what you have done well, and discuss topics efficiently.
- Action to Take: Have weekly meetings or review team dashboards to highlight how far the team has come.
2. Encourage Social Networking Over the Internet
- Relationship-building matters. Fix up video calls, use the Slack channel, and take part in online company events.
- If you regularly reach out, it will help others think positively about you, overcoming any prejudice caused by being close to you.
3. Invite feedback and seek suggestions for your development.
- Sometimes, remote employees should advocate for themselves directly. Discuss growth with others, ask for advice, and update them on what you want to achieve in your career.
- Tip: Be sure to keep a record of what you accomplish and ask for reviews at least every three months to avoid suffering from proximity bias.
Tools That Help to Reduce the Effects of Location Bias
Technology can make working from anywhere or in a hybrid way fair for all employees. Here, we’ll introduce tools that you can use to avoid location bias.
- Tools for Communicating Out of Sync: With Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Loom, everyone can communicate when it’s convenient for them.
- Software for Task and Project Management: Trello, Asana, and Plaky are examples of apps that allow everyone to view how the team is contributing to the project. With these tools, it becomes clearer and easier to measure and view what every individual contributes.
- Systems designed for the experience of employees: Use services such as CultureAmp or Officevibe to receive input and feedback from employees in a confidential way. They help overcome the issue of proximity bias and let you earn trust from employees.
- Performance Management Systems: Utilize BambooHR or Lattice to design the same review templates and manage goals for all team members.
If we use digital performance systems, we can deal with location bias effectively.
Case Studies: Organizations That Overcome Proximity Bias Effectively
Let’s discuss how these successful companies work to remove the bias created by physical distance.
At GitLab, documentation is a main focus for the company culture.
GitLab is an entirely remote company that places importance on documentation. Every meeting and decision is also documented and available in the app. Because everyone has the same opportunities, it is easier to cope with the issue of location bias.
Buffer: Ensuring Bias Is Not Present
The team is able to view salary information, goals, and company data from Buffer on Workable. Ensuring openness makes every employee feel involved, so those in charge won’t favor the ones closest.
Zapier: The Principles of Remote-First Leadership
The leaders at Zapier are remote, showing that everyone can be included in the team. Because their company values advocate for fairness, they can avoid location bias all the time.
As these cases reveal, overcoming location bias leads to positive results and higher profits if handled appropriately.
Here are some errors you should avoid.
- Managers and businesses who are careful may still make mistakes that lead to location bias.
- Paying Excessive Attention to Remote Employees
- Contacting them often to see how everything is going can make your partner feel that you do not trust them and increase their stress.
- Alternatively, design systems that support employees’ freedom and a healthy amount of communication to fight against location bias.
- Equity Can’t Be Guaranteed Without Measuring
- If you are not keeping records of these variables by location, odds are you are not picking up hints of bias. Use analytics tools to find out about location bias and try to overcome it.
Conclusion
Work in the future will be mixed, but leaders should always focus on equity. To correct for location bias, businesses need to update their systems and also change their employees’ attitudes.
If we design remote-driven cultures, guide technology effectively, and equip all managers with inclusive skills, we can close any gap between office and home workers.