Rebuilding Culture for Flexible Working: How HubSpot is Creating True Equality Across Locations | HRD Connect

As work models become more virtual, hybrid, and remote, firms are determining how to enable equal opportunities for all employees, whether they’re working at home or in the office. One area driving this concern is proximity bias (PB), an incorrect assumption that workers in close physical proximity to their team and company leaders will be perceived as better workers than their remote counterparts. Validating this concern is previous research that found remote workers may receive lower performance evaluations and smaller raises compared to their in-office colleagues. This HRD Connect article includes insights into new practices, norms, and tools that HubSpot uses to support employees in three distinct ways of working: office based, home-based, and flex. One practice they have implemented is allowing workers to select which of the three ways of working best suits them, which can be changed as their circumstances change. Another practice is striving to make 70% of HubSpot’s new job postings location-agnostic; most of their jobs are posted with all three location options available. People managers also receive dedicated training and workshops on proximity bias, hybrid working, and psychological safety. Other ideas are discussed.