Exploring the Impact of Bias on Remote Workers
By Amri Johnson & Howie Schaffer
Remote work. Virtual work. Telecommuting. Workshifting. Distributed work. Smart Work. Agile work. Using a home office. We have many names for the maturing trend of colleagues working outside the regular central office. With these new work arrangements come beliefs, judgments, and biases about the value and effectiveness of alternative work settings. Tell a person you work remotely and they may have a strong immediate reaction, often emotional. Without actually examining any evidence, people will have immediate judgments about remote work and sometimes act without full consideration/testing/validation of their beliefs. Some people may experience anxiety and doubt. Others will feel open and excited. This is normal. Those who have familiarity or experience with flexible work arrangements may see remote work as normal and necessary. Some colleagues may feel that new work structures alter the core architecture of work and teams. There is no single correct perspective.
But that was then. . .
Now, those that have the option of working from a distance are doing so, en masse. COVID-19 has (without needing to say) changed everything. A door has opened. We now have both the opportunity to experiment with remote work, but also the chance to learn all we can about how to do it well. Now organizations can shift from relying on data and myths from others to collecting data and learning from their own people.
Not everything works better remotely. We know that deep collaboration generally works better when we are physically together. We also know that bias in remote work is as prevalent as bias about remote work. Below, are some common biases about working remotely. It is possible that for some, these biases/myths about remote work remain intact. Likely, some managers are still anxious about not being able to monitor their teams to make sure that they are “productive”. And some are likely even looking for conformational mechanisms to prevent people from working at home after this time of physical distancing. We hope that this is not a common practice, but it is possible and it might be helpful for those looking to dispel such myths to know a few common ones that have been prevalent in the past and with the current situation can be examined via direct observation and evaluation.
As we all know, bias can be positive or negative. Both equally restrict accurate perception. A positive bias might be the belief that a virtually connected colleague works harder to prove their value because they fear being overlooked for a promotion. A negative bias might be the belief that it requires more effort to engage or collaborate with a remote worker. The bottom-line impact of the sum of this bias can be seen in every facet of work that is connected to innovation, performance, productivity, and profit:
Team cohesion, communication, hiring, interviewing, performance review, assignments, career development, stretch assignments, conflict resolution, giving feedback, supervision…the list goes on.
Let’s see where you enter this conversation. Think about the following six statements. Are they myth or reality?
Myth or Reality?
1) Remote workers are more productive. Reality. Working from home can make a worker more productive, but there are no guarantees. Most people are more productive when working from home, but that productivity is strongly subject to the policies put in place by the employer. Corporate leaders are learning to focus less on where the work gets done and more on the outcomes. Remote work options reduce employee turnover. We have had conversations with many people who have discussed how much more productive they have been and all of the things they have been able to provide with their extra time available sans a commute.
2) Remote workers are less committed, less focused, and less engaged. Myth. Studies show that remote workers are slightly more engaged that their home office counterparts. They also take less sick leave. And report higher quality team interactions, as planned meetings can be more purposeful than informal or unplanned interactions. While many who have the privilege of working from home share that they miss being face to face with their colleagues, the overwhelming majority have stated that they are more rested, lucid, and ready to contribute more to what their organization needs to get through this crisis and in recovery efforts.
3) Remote workers have off-ramped and seek less career development. Myth. Despite the fear that asking for flexible work options will hurt career advancement, research has shown that using flexible work arrangements does not have to be a career-limiting move, and those who use flexible work arrangements are more likely to be promoted than those who need them but do not use them. The current “extra time” without a commute has also impacted learning. With an increase of 12–20%+ of time due to no commute, many are using their windfall to invest in learning new skills and insights to do their current jobs better and increase their capacity to contribute to the organizational strategy.
4) Collaborating Across Cultures & Time Zones Creates Challenges. Reality. People involved in global teams should know, understand, and be prepared to address the complex challenges that come with communicating across cultures. Some of the problems that multicultural teams experience include time delays in replies, lack of synergy, different approaches to conflict resolution and receiving feedback, limited hours allowed to be worked, and different holidays. These are workable challenges and present opportunities for the inclusion of new perspectives and ideas. New cultural knowledge, openness to questions, new awareness and skills, and best-fit collaboration tools are key to success.
5) Team and organizational culture suffer when people don’t show up at the office. Myth. Culture depends on trust, leadership, and clear policies with upfront conversations about expectations. One thing is clear: micromanagement and remote work don’t mix well. There is no tenable choice but to trust in the current dynamic. That said, in the current environment clarity and consistent communication require even more than what might be considered adequate in normal times. In times of crisis, communications need to reflect protocols for moving through a crisis. And while most businesses are not on the front lines, the need for clear, consistent, and compassionate communication is needed. All employees and their families are impacted and require information to reduce anxiety, maintain business continuity, and be provided current state updates in order organize their lives to make sure they can optimally perform.
6) Remote workers are parents, mostly women. Myth. Similar to the global skilled-labor workforce, 3 out of 4 are men, and no difference in parental status has been reported. One in five workers around the globe work remotely.
Remote teams have to trust their teammates. There is simply no way around it. The beauty of trusting your teammates is that often times your teammates reward you. Most people genuinely want to do a good job.“ Wade Foster, How to Build Culture in a Remote Team
Key Concepts to Explore
Visibility Bias or Presenteeism. Visibility or familiarity bias refers to the tendency to favor or give greater value to people, places, or situations where one has previous or frequent comfort, awareness, or proximity. Perceived distance from a supervisor could have an impact on remote workers. During the times we are in now, this bias won’t necessarily go away. Some people will email, Slack, Yammer, Zoom, pick up the phone more to talk with their boss more than others. Some managers will look at this as them being more engaged. And, some managers will forget the reality of the situation. That is — context matters. Every team member’s context is different and their time, energy, and ability to engage will vary as a result.
Remote Worker Bias People working outside the group office are more likely to intentionally work harder (especially in current times) to demonstrate their value to their manager or employer. Remote workers also may self-report increases in job satisfaction and productivity in many cases without data to support the claim. This lack of credible data once made studying remote employees a challenge. Now, we can look at what has been done and see what could be done when circumstances are less unfavorable. While current times should not be considered a baseline given the contextual considerations mentioned above, there is ample opportunity to get feedback and make corrections that allow for remote work to produce extraordinary results in the short and longer-term.
Workplace Flexibility Stigma Men who seek work flexibility may be penalized more severely than women, because they’re viewed as more feminine, deviating from their traditional role of fully committed breadwinners. There is no doubt during times of the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic, that parents are disadvantaged as it relates to time and availability. While men have always been greater participants in the world of remote work, the rationale for their physical location has not typically been explicitly stated as being about needing more time for family. Now, all parents are dealing with remote work the best they can while juggling amplified responsibilities for meals, school, and making sure homes are not thrown into chaos! This is a great opportunity to take this dynamic for all parents from stigma to normative flex work policy.
Recency Bias is the tendency for some people to focus on “what’s happened lately” when evaluating or judging something. In performance reviews, some managers tend to weigh what the employee appears to have done in the last weeks or months, rather than looking at the entire period of evaluation. Job performance will be hard to evaluate in 2020. Nothing is typical and when there are less typical dynamics, there is also a tendency to anchor on outdated rationale for how people are evaluated and rewarded. Combine this with many businesses dealing with budget crises, the field for bias has great potential for expansion.
Perhaps firms want to consider an approach of compassion. Some people would have been let go in any case, current circumstances aside. For them, this is a chance to get coaching on how they might save their jobs or be prepared for future opportunities in their current firms or elsewhere. Where general performance management is concerned, consider compassion, and care. Some employees will shine in this crisis. They will have helped more people, saved the company resources when such action is desperately needed, stayed connected, and engaged with customers in a way that will help with the resetting future. Reward them and tell their stories. For all others who have maintained the fort, treat them equally. We all deserve a gold star after this. A few will deserve two or more.
The Final Word: “Remote teams have to trust their teammates. There is simply no way around it. The beauty of trusting your teammates is that often your teammates reward you. Most people genuinely want to do a good job.“ -Wade Foster, How to Build Culture in a Remote Team
Trust is always big. In a time of crisis, it is an adhesive that makes the difference between minimal recovery back to the baseline (or a bit less than so), rebounding with modest progress, and inspiring the extraordinary out of a chaotic time. Trust requires care and care requires an explicit understanding of our interdependence. Now, like never before (for many) the reality of our interconnectedness is front and center. Celebrate it!
Share with us. . .What have you learned about remote working during the past two months?
Amri Johnson is a social capitalist, executive advisor, and inclusion strategist. He is the founder of A. Johnson Partners, a broad network of organizational strengths-amplifiers and problem-solvers anchored by inclusion systems thinking.
Howie Schaffer is founder & principal of Big Tent Consulting. Need help with your diversity, inclusion, and leadership development work? Contact Howie via LinkedIn.