When I first transitioned into remote work, I quickly learned that being productive at home is not always enough. Sometimes it’s about just being seen. As someone who has worked both in-office and remotely, I’ve observed how managers can unconsciously reward employees who are physically present. This is known as proximity bias, and it’s one of the biggest challenges hybrid teams face today.
I’ve experienced this bias firsthand. Early in my career, I worked with a client who always gave plum projects to colleagues who sat close to him in the office. Even though I consistently delivered quality work remotely, my contributions often went unnoticed because I wasn’t physically there to “remind” him of my existence. That experience shaped the way I think about fairness and productivity.
What Proximity Bias Looks Like
Proximity bias is simple: managers tend to favor employees they see more often. According to WWT, proximity bias “favors on-site employees over remote ones due to their visibility to managers and coworkers”.
It might look like this:
- A manager offers growth opportunities to in-office employees because they’re top-of-mind.
- Remote workers aren’t invited to impromptu brainstorms simply because they weren’t in the breakroom.
- Promotions or recognition lean toward those who “show face” in the office.
I’ve seen this with clients who would praise the “team player” who stayed late at the office, while forgetting the remote worker who quietly handled urgent issues from home.
The Cost of Ignoring Proximity Bias
The damage is real. When leaders reward visibility over value, they risk:
- Demotivating remote workers who feel undervalued.
- Losing great talent who leave for organizations that value outcomes, not attendance.
- Undermining diversity and inclusion, since caregivers, parents, and people in rural areas are often more likely to work remotely.
Hubstaff explains that this bias can “distort how contributions are valued” and even cause turnover.
Personally, I’ve had coaching conversations with freelancers who felt they needed to “prove” they were working more than their office-based peers, despite delivering higher-quality work. That kind of inequity erodes trust quickly.
Why Office Visibility ≠ Productivity
The truth is, productivity is not about seat time. As a matter of fact, studies suggest remote workers often put in more hours and deliver more focused work than in-office employees, who face constant interruptions.
I remember when I first started writing full-time from home. I tracked my hours and realized I was producing more content in fewer hours than when I worked in a noisy open-plan office. That experience showed me that performance is about output, not proximity.
Strategies I Use (and Recommend) to Reduce Proximity Bias
Over the years, I’ve adopted and recommended several strategies to my clients:
- Set clear performance metrics. I track goals based on deliverables: words written, campaigns completed, client outcomes. This makes “face time” irrelevant.
- Use shared calendars. My teams use Google Calendar to ensure everyone’s schedules are visible, regardless of location.
- Rotate visibility opportunities. In group meetings, I encourage remote members to lead certain sections, so that their expertise is recognized.
- Equal airtime in meetings. I’ve worked with clients who use the “hand-raise” feature in Zoom to ensure remote employees aren’t talked over.
- Data over assumptions. I rely on productivity tools and reports instead of gut feelings when evaluating performance.
If you manage to put all strategies into practice, you’ll not only prevent bias, but build trust and balance in your hybrid teams.
Where Traqq Fits In
This is where I’ve found Traqq invaluable. I’ve used it both personally and with clients to ensure that productivity is judged fairly. Here’s how:
- Privacy-first tracking: Traqq doesn’t use screenshots or invasive monitoring. That means I can reassure teams they’re being evaluated on output, not surveillance.
- Active vs idle time: I’ve seen how Traqq highlights actual engaged work time, which helps me understand where energy is really going.
- Reports and benchmarks: I generate reports by team and time period to show measurable contributions. This is particularly helpful when a remote team member feels overlooked.
- Fair visibility: Traqq’s role-based permissions mean only the right people see the right data, protecting trust while providing managers with insights.
- Offline tracking: As someone who works in areas with unstable internet, I value how Traqq continues logging offline. That ensures my time is counted, even if connectivity drops.
For me, Traqq provides the perfect balance of insight and data, but without the surveillance that generally comes with employee monitoring. It helps managers evaluate performance fairly, whether an employee is across the hall or across the globe.
From My Experience
One of the teams I consulted had remote developers in Kenya and in-office staff in New York. The New York team often got credit for “hard work” simply because leadership saw them in meetings every day.
But when we introduced Traqq, the data told a different story. The remote developers consistently logged high productivity during focus hours, and their deliverables typically matched or even exceeded those of the in-office team, depending on the period.
Reports also highlighted their significant contributions to major projects, giving leadership a clearer and more accurate picture of their impact. This shifted leadership’s perception. Promotions and recognition became tied to data and outcomes rather than visibility.
Conclusion
As a remote worker, entrepreneur, and productivity enthusiast, I know how frustrating proximity bias can be. But I’ve also seen how teams can overcome it.
The key is to measure what matters: outcomes, focus, and value (instead of just someone’s physical presence). With awareness, fair policies, and tools like Traqq, your company can make hybrid work equitable for everyone involved.
Proximity bias is real, but it doesn’t have to define your workplace. If you want to see how fair productivity measurement works, I encourage you to try Traqq and discover how it can help eliminate bias in your team.
