How to Equitably Handle Employee Recognition in a Hybrid Workplace
Hybrid and remote teams have become an essential part of our new normal. Many companies have accepted — and even embraced — having a blended team of in-person and remote workers, but some leaders continue to grapple with an unconscious, mental shortcut: proximity bias.
This natural tendency to favor, praise and promote the employees right in front of us while overlooking or undervaluing remote ones has given rise to inequities, from rating work differently to offering plum assignments to in-person team members first and inadvertently excluding offsite colleagues from meetings.
While proximity bias can lead to remote employees missing out on networking opportunities and promotions, it’s also bad for business. When contributions aren’t equitably recognized, that breeds mistrust, affecting employee morale, retention, productivity and, ultimately, the organization’s bottom line.
Since the Great Resignation, proactive leaders have therefore been seeking new ways of tackling proximity bias to ensure remote team members stay engaged, motivated and on track for advancement. Here’s how to get started.
The ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ Instinct
In a recent study of more than 800 supervisors conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, 42% of respondents admitted they sometimes forget about remote workers when assigning tasks.
And a 2022 report from Future Forum, Slack’s research consortium, revealed that 41% of executives view the risk of potential inequities between onsite and remote employees as their top concern for a hybrid work model.
Admitting proximity bias, unconscious or not, is the first step toward eradicating it, said Tamara Sanderson, co-founder of organizational design and consulting firm Remote Works and the co-author of “Remote Works: Managing for Freedom, Flexibility, and Focus.”
“Remote work puts a magnifying glass to all aspects of an organization — the good, bad and ugly,” said Sanderson. “And there's still an unconscious pull to prioritize people you see in person. As long as there are butts in seats for 40 hours per week, the company will achieve its goals, but that's not necessarily true.”
She says once you become aware of that bias, “you can think about how to be inclusive with your group. Knowing your pain points, you can design and improve systems for inclusivity.”
Related Article: Hybrid Meetings Are Hard. Here's How to Make Them Better
Foster New Ways of Interacting
Successful hybrid companies know to adapt certain processes to the new way of working to be more inclusive of all employees.
For instance, instead of scheduling traditional annual performance reviews, consider initiating more frequent one-on-one conversations to connect with team members and show them their efforts are being seen, suggested Nola Simon, a hybrid/remote futurist who owns Nola Simon Advisory in Keswick, Ontario.
Leaders can conduct weekly or monthly evaluations focused on short-term objectives or mentorship, and employees can also use this time to express their professional development goals or seek help with upcoming projects.
“Set intentions: Ask your team ‘When did I talk to you last? Do I know what's going on in your world?’ And if not, why not?” said Simon. “Ask open-ended questions. ‘Are you doing okay? Is there anything I can help with? What do you need more of from me? What do you need less of?’ Everything should reinforce that the leadership team is there for its people.”
Having frequent two-way conversations also helps instill a culture where everyone values collaboration, results and innovation instead of where employees are working from, said Sanderson.
“We recommend a relationship kickoff similar to a project kickoff anytime you work with somebody new in the organization, where you get to know each other, learn how you'd like to work and share your goals,” she explained. “By having that intentional, thoughtful one-on-one time, you form a lot of trust that can continue going forward.”
Change the Way You Hold Meetings
Meetings are a common source of pain in newly hybrid workplaces, but managers can promote equity and advocate for remote workers through accessible technology. For example, you may want to instill a ‘one laptop, one person’ policy so everyone’s on screen, whether they’re in the office or working from home.
“This makes sure everybody has a similar presence in the room,” explained Sanderson, who also recommends swapping the back-to-back-to-back meeting flow as a management style in favor of leveraging project management systems to keep teams on track.
“As you reduce those types of touchpoints, you’ll also reduce some of the proximity bias,” she said.
Related Article: Build Connections to Drive Higher Hybrid Work Performance
Cultivate a Culture of Documentation
To make sure everybody has the same information, document as much as possible. Begin with standard operating behaviors in a team charter, but leave room for any information that could be valuable to all workers, suggested Sanderson.
Learning Opportunities
“Have written documentation in a central place so people can do their work and also, if you had an interesting hallway conversation pertaining to work, make sure you’re documenting it within your knowledge management system so everybody on your team has access,” she said.
Keep a written tally of which projects got assigned to which employees, so you don’t inadvertently keep offering work to in-person people only.
Rethink the Onboarding Process
Simon believes organizations should consider teaching all employees how to interact virtually from the start as well as what the company expects in a hybrid environment.
“Somebody new coming into a company isn't necessarily new to working; they come in with experience and skills that can benefit somebody else on the team,” said Simon. “[But] somebody who's just graduated, for example, might be more digitally savvy than somebody who's worked there for 30 years and is struggling with the newer technology that is fueling the hybrid remote.”
The proximity bias that tends to come with a hybrid workplace is most often unintentional. People need to get used to new ways of working, and that starts by learning what’s expected and what the best practices are.
“That's how people build visibility. You can use collaboration tools internally to build a network of people who wouldn't necessarily work with you on a day-to-day basis. You're training people to build a personal brand, be visible and advocate for themselves in terms of who needs to know they exist,” Simon said.
Related Article: Best Practices for Every Stage of Employee Experience: Stage 3, Onboard
Establish a Quantifiable, Equitable Merit System
To properly assess remote and hybrid workers’ performance, collect data from multiple people and sources, suggested Sanderson. This way, promotion decisions will be fair, regardless of employee location.
“The more you can look at outputs, deliverables, products launched, calls made, customer service requests closed, decisions made — actual objectives being met — it's a much better indication,” she explained.
Build a culture of appreciation by setting up a central platform where employees can recognize colleagues. This helps measure and amplify the accomplishments and voices of co-workers who aren’t always in the office, suggested Simon.
“Make it available to all employees, so anyone in any part of the company can give somebody else a shout-out,” she said.
Future-Proof Your Organization by Shifting Your Mindset
Learning how to equitably handle employee recognition in a hybrid workplace helps build a more inclusive company that supports its workers. When employees feel seen, they’ll bring their best work to the table. When they don’t, they’ll doubt your corporate mission, said Simon.
“If you're an employer who's publicly said, ‘We're committed to diversity and inclusion,’ but you're not walking the talk, living those values or standing up for them, employees will question your vision,” she explained.
“If employees feel they're treated unfairly, the only pathway they’ll see is the exit.”
About the Author
Wendy Helfenbaum is a Montreal-based freelance journalist and television producer with 25 years’ experience. A long-time board member of the American Society of Journalists & Authors, Wendy has written hundreds of print, digital and television stories about career and leadership strategies, HR best practices, diversity in the workplace, job searching, marketing, networking, education and business.
Connect with Wendy Helfenbaum:
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