One aim of effective performance management (PM) is objective and fair performance feedback and evaluations. And while organizations seek to achieve this goal, PM is imperfect and subject to bias. As organizations prepare for year-end performance discussions and evaluations, here are three references for mitigating PM bias.
1) Six Potential Indicators of Proximity Bias in the Workplace | Brian Heger. Given the rise of remote work, it is more likely that proximity bias (PB) can enter performance evaluations. PB happens when one views workers that spend more time in a company-designated office location—or who are in proximity to decision-makers— more favorably than their remote counterparts. Although not a validated measure of PB, this reference includes a few indicators managers can use to self-audit their PB tendencies.
2) Deloitte’s Mitigating Bias in PM. This reference provides suggestions for ensuring that PM decisions are rooted in facts and input from various sources.
3) How to Crush Bias in Performance Management | The Talent Strategy Group. One point discusses how well-designed processes (e.g., PM calibration sessions) can help weed out PM bias since firms have more control over the process than they do over the individual behaviors of every single manager.
These three resources can be leveraged to help organizations finds ways to reduce bias in PM.
