Management bias can lead to poor decision-making. For example, Research by the Centre for Transformative Work Design found that managers are dramatically more likely to say employees who work on-site are higher performers (64% saying this). And they are more likely to promote people who come into the office (76%). But the data shows that off-site workers are just as productive, if not more so.
In fact, in one study of 700 employees and managers, 75% of managers said that remote work was a bad thing for their organization—despite the fact that it has been proven to increase employee performance by up to 50%. It’s not surprising that managers are more likely to view on-site work as a positive thing. It means they can see their employees' actions and know when they’re slacking off. But it also means they can micromanage them better. Management bias can lead to poor decision-making because it doesn't take into account the needs of the people being managed.
How to identify remote bias in the workplace:- Take a step back and consider your assumptions.
- Ask yourself, “What are the benefits of remote work?”
- Consider whether there are ways to enable remote work without sacrificing employee productivity.