Welcome to Ask an Adviser, EBN’s weekly column in which benefit brokers and advisers answer (anonymous) queries sent in by our readers. Looking for some expert advice? Please submit questions to askanadviser@arizent.com. This week, we asked Natasha Bowman, founder and president of Performance ReNEW (who’s also known as “the workplace doctor”) to weigh in on the following:How and why should we avoid proximity bias?
In a world where opportunity has mostly favored those who are seen, hope now exists for all employees to contribute, grow and add diversity to an organization — even if they are doing so from an off-site location such as their home. Being in a brick-and-mortar building is no longer the only way to get more perks and benefits, equal pay and opportunity. Those businesses that still operate with a proximity bias will experience negative consequences for allowing its presence to dictate their organization’s success.
Acknowledging that proximity bias exists is the first step. Creating an inclusive culture that merges the best of both on-site and off-site worlds is the second step. Both are necessary because 45% of people work from home, whether fulltime or parttime. When nearly half of your talent is working in a new way, it’s vital to ensure they still feel like part of the team. This means acknowledging their contributions and positive impact on the organization and its goals.
Read more: Salary benchmarking: For remote teams, should pay be based on role or location?
Productivity is always an important goal. If the work is getting done with good results, it is not necessary to micromanage your off-site employees or even just check in on them for the sake of doing so. That may make you feel better as a manager, but these types of unnecessary interruptions demonstrate a lack of trust, which is problematic. More than 50% of off-site workers say that when they lose trust their sense of belonging and mental health suffers. They are also more likely to seek out a new job. The solution is a meeting of everyone’s needs: a merger between organizational assurance and employee satisfaction.
The final piece that can fill in the gaps of your organization as it goes to more of an off-site environment is to find a way to create camaraderie for all, regardless of where their desk sits. This can be done through group chats that encourage social engagement. A few kind words or sharing what is important to you in this capacity can go a long way toward an environment where people on- and off-site workers are treated equally and welcomed within the organization as valuable assets.
