​Flexible work is here to stay, and the future is hybrid, as findings from the recent survey show that 58% of professional employees adopted a hybrid work arrangement – an increase of 12% from May 2021.

Consistently with the shift, knowledge workers across the globe now expect to have flexibility – both in terms of location and schedule. The desire is particularly strong among the historically underrepresented groups. However, we are beginning to see a growing concern that proximity bias may lead to inequalities between on-site and remote workers.

What is proximity bias?

 For many marketing and communications professionals, the biggest worry about remote work is the proximity bias – an idea that employees who have returned to the office will get ahead as they will be perceived as better workers. While it is often unconscious, it may affect how some managers evaluate performance, raising concerns that it will unfairly penalize women, ethnic minorities and working parents, who tend to spend less time in the office than their peers.

Globally, 84% of men work in the office all or some of the time, compared to 79% of women. In addition, three-quarters of working partners work remotely or hybrid, compared to 63% of non-parents.

Despite the potential negative effects on underrepresented workers, many bosses still prefer the office. A recent survey by Future Forum finds that 42% of executives report they work from the office three or more days a week, as compared to just 30% of non-executives.

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