According to recent research, we are biased to those employees who come into work early.
The research, conducted at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, set out to understand if employees were being penalised for using flexible hours. The results are clear; those who come in early are seen as more conscientious and even receive higher performance ratings.
We know it’s unfair to assume that just because someone comes into work early, they’re better performers. But as a rule of thumb, our biases get in the way of this and the bias falls squarely towards those early risers versus late starters and finishers.
Other than potentially judging people falsely, we are potentially missing out on promotion opportunities or falsely assuming that someone is a “better” worker because they come in early and spend long hours at their desks.
Does overworking ever work?
Apparently not. Working more hours does not make anyone more productive. In fact, it has the opposite effect. When long hours are worked, cognitive skills start to decrease and a lot of the work done during that overtime needs to be edited or redone. The happiest and most productive employees are those that find the perfect balance between time at work and time for rest.
What can be done to overcome this?
Having a specific set of criteria that you are measuring means those biases are less likely to come out. Here are 5 simple tips to follow to ensure each employee is being reviewed fairly.
1. Be aware of your bias
The first step to fixing the issue is to be aware of the issue of itself. By knowing that you have a bias and thinking about it more often, it will affect you less. Think about how this bias has been or is affecting your team.
2. Measure employees on their work, not their time
Measure people on their work, not time spent at a desk, and understand that it makes no difference where or when someone does their work, as long as it gets done.
By setting clear objectives with your team it’s easier to see if they are successful or not, regardless of the hours put in.
Click here to see how to set the right objectives for your employees
3. Use structured performance reviews
As mentioned earlier, that morning bias can even mean that performance reviews suffer because of that bias. By having a specific set of criteria that you’re measuring, those biases are less likely to come out.
Click here how to make your performance reviews more successful
4. Educate others
Lead by example and educate others that as long as the work is done and objectives are being met that the concept of measuring those against hours in the office is outdated.
5. Be mindful
Be mindful of the extra, unnecessary stress you’re putting on your employees coming into work early (or staying late). They might have children and need to adjust their schedule accordingly. Or perhaps they are just not morning people and prefer to stay later because they’re more productive later in the day.