With the consolidation of remote work and hybrid work, a silent challenge has impacted the careers of many professionals: theproximity bias. A study conducted by economists from the British universities of Nottingham, Sheffield and King's College point out thatremote workers have less chance of receiving promotions and salary increases, even when they perform better than their in-person peers. The reason? The unconscious tendency of leaders to value more those who are physically close in day-to-day interactions
Virgil Marques dos Santos,co-founder of FM2S Education and Consulting, career manager and PhD from Unicamp, alert that this distortion can harm both professionals and the companies themselves. "The bias of proximity causes ineffective management to end up promoting those who are visible in the office", and not who generates better results. This undermines the fair valuation of work and decreases talent retention, affirms
The problem intensified after the pandemic, when many leaders, used to the in-person model, they began to associate productivity with physical presence. However, innovative companies have already understood that the most important thing is to measure results, not the time spent in the office. Technology giants, like Google and Microsoft, have adopted more flexible models, focusing on delivery and the quality of the work, regardless of the employee's location
How to avoid the proximity bias
To ensure a fair assessment, Santos recommends some practices
– Performance evaluationinstead of focusing on physical presence, companies should establish clear performance metrics to evaluate their employees
– Regular meetings with the entire teamremote employees can be forgotten in daily interactions. Structured meetings ensure balance in communications
– Use of productivity toolsmanagement software allows for objective performance monitoring, reducing the dependence on in-person observation
– Inclusive organizational cultureleaders should be trained to recognize and avoid proximity bias, ensuring that decisions are based on real merit
For the specialist, the future of work is not in constant supervision, but rather in the relationship of trust and in the appreciation of results. "Companies that understand this will get ahead", attracting and retaining the best professionals, "regardless of where they are", concludes
