Hybrid Meetings are Biased. Here's How to Fix Them

With businesses around the world continuing to adjust to the consequences of COVID-19 and looking for ways to succeed in the post-pandemic world, one concept that’s becoming increasingly common is hybrid working.

Following the large-scale shift to remote operations at the height of the crisis, many employees are reluctant to make a full return to the office. As a result, businesses are having to manage teams of both in-person and remote workers.

Cisco research on the hybrid workplace has suggested that 98% of meetings will include participants joining from home, while 98% of knowledge workers have experienced frustrations with video meetings when working remotely.

One potential problem with hybrid meetings that managers need to account for is bias, with people who are actually in the room getting preferential treatment and more opportunities than those who aren't physically present.

If you want to create a fair, healthy business by giving all employees equal chances to prove themselves and deliver value, be sure to acknowledge the risks of bias and make a plan to mitigate them.

Proximity bias

Proximity bias - where managers and team leaders look more favorably on those who are in their immediate vicinity - is one of the most common issues that can creep into hybrid meetings. In many cases, this will happen unconsciously and with no malicious intent, but nevertheless, it could have a serious impact on the morale and productivity of remote workers.

Ali Shalfrooshan, an occupational psychologist at workplace solutions provider PSI Services, told the BBC that most people will be able to think of times when they felt the strongest connection and engagement with the colleagues situated closest to them at work.

Managers need to think of ways to tackle this problem. According to Alison Hill, CEO of Australian leadership training firm Pragmatic Thinking, one of the first and most crucial steps is simply recognizing that it's an issue. You can then think about practical measures and changes that will help you address it.

It's important that you're able to have honest conversations with employees about how the nature of work has evolved in your business and their personal opinions about these changes.

On a practical level, actions you can take to make sure everyone is being heard and getting a chance to contribute, regardless of where they're located, include:

• Arranging frequent, one-to-one catch-ups with remote workers so they have opportunities to ask questions and raise issues
• Starting every meeting with verbal assurances and reminders that all attendees should have the chance to speak
• Making a conscious effort to engage with and invite contributions from remote workers, rather than waiting for them to interject, which can be difficult when you're not physically present

Expedience bias

Expedience bias - the tendency to favor solutions and courses of action that deliver the fastest results - is not uncommon in business. It's natural for busy teams and managers to want to get things done quickly, but some situations require more careful consideration and planning.

In hybrid meetings, there might be a temptation for managers to look to those who are in the room for instant answers, but are remote workers being disadvantaged as a result?

You can tackle this problem by tailoring your approach to planning meetings. Make sure attendees are given all the data and materials they need to prepare for the event ahead of time, so those who can't be physically present can still take the information on board and be ready to contribute.

As well as making sure everyone has a fair chance to participate in the meeting, this can lead to more carefully considered and effective solutions to challenges.

Confirmation bias

Confirmation bias occurs when people focus on information that backs up what they already think, and ignore data that contradicts or raises questions about their existing notions.

In the context of hybrid meetings, this type of bias can become a problem if managers assume that remote workers won’t be as engaged or collaborative as those who are physically present. In this scenario, the manager could interpret even the smallest signal - such as a remote attendee having their microphone switched off - as a validation of their preconceptions.

You can tackle confirmation bias in your business by offering training to raise awareness of the concept and by making a conscious effort to seek out information that contradicts lazy and potentially harmful assumptions.

Simply acknowledging issues like this and putting simple measures in place to address them will set you on your way to building a happier, more productive workplace.