Right now, it can be difficult to imagine a world without COVID-19, social distancing and restrictions, but eventually there will be. At some point in the future, we will be able to see friends and family freely, go out for dinner and return to offices instead of working from home.
Although some people will continue to work at home post-coronavirus, others are likely to head back to their workplaces. But will the return of some employees and not others create a problematic hierarchy — and if so, what can we do about it?
We encounter various cognitive biases on a daily basis at work, many of which we are aware of and others that we aren’t. Our tendency to connect with people with similar backgrounds and interests is known as affinity bias. And we may recognise that confirmation bias tells us something is worth doing, even if it isn’t.
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Proximity bias, otherwise known as distance bias, is founded on the idea that we work better with people who are physically closer to us. And it’s this assumption that has been hindering remote working for decades.
“Proximity bias is a bias against remote workers. It’s the false assumption that employees who work in the office — where their managers can see and hear them — will be more productive than their work-from-home colleagues,” says Amanda Augustine, careers expert for TopCV.
“Unfortunately, even companies who promoted a flexible working environment prior to COVID-19 may have unknowingly exhibited proximity bias, which can ultimately hold employees back and damage the corporate culture.”