A common challenge that many managers face is leading employees who work remotely. In the past, a manager and employee working in the same location could have impromptu meetings as things came up, leaders could coach in the moment, and just chat informally in the lunchroom or by the photocopier. There were many opportunities to connect. 

With remote work, managers need to be much more intentional about how, when, and where they connect with their employees, both formally and informally.

Recognizing and Mitigating Proximity Bias

Unconscious bias can show up in many places within a workplace. One bias, called proximity bias, is important to recognize if you are a manager with employees working remotely either part of the time or all the time.

Proximity bias is when employees with proximity to their team, manager, and the organization’s leaders will be perceived as better workers and therefore find more success than their counterparts working remotely. 
This bias can unconsciously influence your decision in who to engage in conversations about projects (and who you assign to those projects) or who you think is worthy of promotion. That old saying “out of sight, out of mind” is true – employees who have more face time with leadership are often more likely to succeed in the workplace.

How you can mitigate your proximity bias:

• Recognize your unconscious bias
  We all have unconscious bias. As David Rock, founder of the Neuroleadership Institute, says, “If you have a brain, you have bias.” The first step in reducing any unconscious bias is being aware of it.
• Slow down your thinking
  When we move quickly – or are stressed - we are more likely to fall prey to unconscious bias. Pause and take time to consider your decisions. 
• Challenge yourself and others on decisions
  Sometimes simply asking yourself or someone else if proximity bias could be influencing your decisions in how you support, coach, or lead your employees can help to reduce its impact. Ask this: is anyone getting “left behind” because they are working remotely?
• Build tools into your decision-making processes
  Create a small checklist that you can refer to when making decisions. You might include prompts like the ones listed here: pause, slow down, question. Something else to ask could be, “What don’t I know about this situation or person? Have I made any assumptions based on proximity?” 

Maintaining a Healthy Manager/Employee Relationship

Managing remote teams takes intentionality and may even feel harder at first than managing people in the same work location. Here are three tips that will help to make this easier and build positive relationships with your employees.

1. Set clear expectations
   In the words of researcher Dr. Brene Brown, “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Setting clear expectations with your employees about what is expected of them, not just in their daily work but as part of a hybrid team will help them to work more effectively individually, with each other, and with you as their manager.
2. Make time for meaningful check ins
   If you don’t already make time for regular check ins with each of your employees, now is the time to start. Without as many informal opportunities to connect in the workplace, it’s critical to the success of a hybrid workplan to communicate consistently with your individual employees. Make it meaningful by talking not just about work, but also about how they are doing overall. Regular conversations can help a leader to coach in the moment and spot burnout or other mental health challenges as they arise. Meaningful conversations also build trust which fosters a healthy relationship.
3. Accountability (yours and your employees’)
   Regardless of where it happens, the work of your organization still needs to happen. Employees will be accountable for ensuring that they are productive within their hybrid work schedule. Leaders are accountable for ensuring that barriers to success for employees to do their best work are removed. Clarity of accountabilities – goals and agreed upon team norms – and regular check ins will help you to assess the productivity of your team, keep an eye to progress on goals, and make changes to the hybrid workplan as needed.

Fine-Tuning Your Communication and Coaching Skills

It will be impossible to coach effectively if communication between you and your employee is poor. Taking time to establish regular ways to communicate will go a long way in building connection and will make it easier to have conversations about the good things but also the opportunities for improvement.

Dedicate Time
In a busy workplace, it can be hard to set aside time for regular coaching or one-on-one meetings. It’s easy to reschedule them as things come up. But the most important part of your job as a manager is leading and coaching your employees. Set your regular meeting times and then stick to them as much as possible. When you frequently reschedule, it sends a message to your employee that they aren’t your priority.

Eliminate Distractions
Ensure that you and your employee each have a quiet, private space for the conversation when you are meeting in different locations. Avoid the temptation to read that email that just arrived in your inbox. Turn off your notifications and close the door to your office (if you are working in one). Most communication happens non-verbally so it’s important to create an environment as distraction-free as possible.

Make it Personal
Excellent coaches invest time in connecting with their employees on a personal level to build trust. It’s much easier to work with people and navigate the tough times when there is psychological safety. Ask employees how things are going in their lives – talk about weekend plans, ask them about their favorite ways to unwind or what makes them laugh. Build a positive relationship!