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The April 2023 report from WFH Research found people who work in the office spend more time mentoring others and getting mentored.
The fact that remote workers miss out on opportunities, like mentoring, shouldn't come as a surprise. A 2022 Future Forum survey found that more than 40% of executives ranked potential inequities between remote and in-office employees as their number one concern.
The personal and professional benefits of mentorship are well documented. And at a time when potential candidates cite opportunities for career growth as a deciding factor on whether to join or remain at a company, the incentive to get mentorship opportunities right for everyone, whether remote or in-office, becomes clear.
Remote Mentorship and 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind'
Proximity bias — preferential treatment by managers or decision-makers due to working physically closer — is a primary cause in the disparity between in-person and remote workplace opportunities, including mentorship.
Proximity bias is part of our nature, said Patrick Kincaid, senior operations/business process specialist at Populytics. “Proximity bias happens because our tendency is to create closer connections with people that are physically nearby.”
When it comes to proximity bias impacting employee relationships, particularly in terms of mentorship, it falls under the category of “out of sight, out of mind,” said Mike McBride, training and development lead, advisory services, at Lighthouse.
“It's just easier to assign work, give feedback, and remember to communicate with people we see all the time. That doesn't make it right, it's just easier.” For employees in junior positions especially, explained McBride, proximity bias could have negative impacts on the ability to learn new skills and grow their careers.
Ultimately, the impact of proximity bias on mentorship can stymy the long-term growth and development of those working out of the office, even in a part-time capacity. As such, it’s crucial for organizations to recognize and proactively mitigate this bias.
Related Article: How Mentoring Programs Encourage Employee Engagement
The Pieces of an Equitable and Effective Mentorship Strategy
Equitable and effective mentorship across dispersed teams requires a dedication to understanding how proximity bias affects mentorship opportunities at your organization and taking steps to address it.
Here are three steps you can follow to assess and strengthen workplace mentorship.
Audit Workplace Practices
For leaders that want to overcome the negative effects of proximity bias, Ann Aly, director of human-centered design at TechFlow, Inc., recommends a workplace practices audit, which looks at mentorship opportunities and beyond.
“Look at how you handle group meetings, 1:1s, collaboration, promotions, performance evaluation criteria, and assumptions about which employees are most productive or proficient,” she said.
Do you notice something you’re doing that favors in-office employees? Something that is harder for remote employees or excludes them? If so, it’s time for a change, said Aly.
“Companies should seek training and mentorship from industry leaders in remote work and inclusion to incorporate practices that combat proximity bias as well — if only certain managers at a company are challenging their proximity bias, this isn’t a sustainable or equitable approach.”
Act With Intention
For decades, said McBride, communication, mentorship and peer learning happened primarily because teams were in the same place. “It wasn't always the best learning and mentoring, but some form of it happened without anyone having to be very intentional about it.”
With a remote or hybrid team, he said, that doesn’t work. Instead, you have to intentionally provide opportunities for feedback and learning.
“I'd argue that great teams were doing some of these things intentionally even when everyone was in the office full time, but with remote workers, you can't just assume they'll get the same opportunities for mentorship when they aren't in the same space.”
Some examples of intentional opportunities for workplace mentorship include:
A mentorship program: A formal program that matches seasoned employees with newer or lesser experienced staff and utilizes a structured schedule of regular meetings, goal setting and progress reviews.
The onboarding process: During the onboarding process, new employees can be paired with a mentor to guide them through company protocols, help them understand the work culture and support them as they navigate new roles.
Job shadowing: Employees can shadow a more experienced colleague to gain firsthand knowledge about different roles and responsibilities, decision-making processes and practical application of skills.
Related Article: 6 Tips for an Engaging Mentorship Program
Cater Towards Remote
One way leaders can strike a balance in mentorship between on-site and remote employees is to default the procedures and cultures to cater towards remote work, said Aly. The result is that workers aren’t left out by virtue of not being near the water cooler.
“Make sure all meetings have a remote dial-in option and position the remote workers in a way that it’s easy for them to hear everyone and also contribute (this means also avoiding physical artifacts that the remote employees don’t have access to!).”
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She also recommended creating opportunities for hybrid collaboration so that the remote-office dichotomy doesn’t show up in work products.
“Develop peer-to-peer review, interactions, and professional development opportunities that are location-agnostic (or offer professional development stipends that are not location-bound) so that all workers have the opportunity to learn from others, regardless of opportunity.”
Proximity Bias & Mentorship: A Problem With a Solution
For some reason, said McBride, people look at proximity bias with remote teams and assume it’s something we can never fix. Instead, he said, we need to expect managers and teams to be better.
“Yes, it requires some effort to be intentional about providing equal opportunities for mentorship and career development, but that is what you get paid to do. It's just part of the job.”
And if managers can take on the task of effective mentorship for dispersed teams, they’ll notice significant benefits.
Stronger, smarter teams, yes. High levels of collaboration, yes. But research also shows companies that invest in mentorship and talent development are better able to weather tough ecnonimic times. In fact, companies with mentoring programs saw 18% higher profits than average — while those without mentoring had profits that were 45% worse than the average.
No matter how you spin it, it just makes good business sense to invest time and resources into ensuring your mentorship opportunities work for every team member, no matter where they choose to work.
