Leveling the playing field: How technology practices can reduce remote worker bias

"The researchers analyzed interviews and observations in distributed organizations and identified a striking trend: When everyone works apart, the old in-person default loses its power. "We found that companies can level the playing field not by buying new tools, but by strategically using the technology they already have to move beyond an office-centric culture," said co-author Justin Berg, associate professor of management and organizations at U-M's Ross School of Business."

"'A lot of times you're like the last to know about certain things,' said one remote worker interviewed for the study. 'They're all in the office together. And what happens in the office are a lot of impromptu meetings or information sharing ... and so you're definitely missing out on that.' Another recalled being excluded from a leadership event she should have attended but never knew was happening."

Remote employees were often regarded as less committed and less influential than office-bound peers, missing impromptu meetings, informal exchanges, and leadership events. Those perceptions reinforced workplace hierarchies, giving headquarters employees greater influence. When organizations adopt new practices for managing distributed teams and when everyone works apart, the office-centric default weakens and hierarchies can level. Companies can achieve greater equality not by buying new tools but by strategically using existing technology to move beyond office-centric cultures. Remote workers report being the 'last to know' about developments, highlighting information access gaps that new practices can address.

Read at Phys