Action Step – Bias in a Hybrid Environment

The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility. Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

Many organizations have moved to a hybrid environment since the pandemic. The pandemic enlightened leaders and employees on the many benefits of hybrid work, including productivity, profitability, business continuity, work-life control, and wellness. However, a hybrid work environment requires responsibility, intentionality, and support to succeed. Bias is more likely to creep into a hybrid environment. Specifically, you must watch out for proximity bias, in which leaders favor workers that are in the office more frequently than employees who tend to work virtually. Additionally, a hybrid environment will likely compound other biases, including similarity bias, an affinity to people who have “similar interests, experiences and backgrounds,” and confirmation bias, the tendency to focus on information confirming beliefs and prejudices.¹ Organizations, leaders and individuals must work together to interrupt these biases to create a successful hybrid environment:

Members: continue reading this Action Step in the Member Resource Center

To read this entire Action Step become a member of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. To learn more contact Manar Morales.

1 Tsipursky, Gleb. “The psychology behind why some leaders are resisting a hybrid work model.” Fortune (June 8, 2021). https://fortune.com/2021/06/08/return-remote-work-hybrid-modelsurveys-covid/