How a Hybrid Tech Company Achieved Fair Performance Measurement Across Locations
A 120-employee tech company implemented unified time tracking across office and remote workers, achieved equal performance visibility, earned 92% employee fairness rating, and retained top talent during hybrid transition.
Company Overview
A mid-size technology company building enterprise software solutions with 120 employees across engineering, product, sales, and customer success. Following the pandemic, the company adopted a hybrid work model with employees choosing between office, remote, or flexible schedules. The headquarters office accommodates 60-70 employees on any given day, while 50+ work fully remote.
- Total Employees
- 120
- Office Workers
- 50-70 daily
- Remote Workers
- 50+ full-time
- Work Model
- Hybrid (employee choice)
The Challenge
Perception of Unfair Treatment Between Office and Remote Workers
- Visibility Bias and Proximity Bias
Office workers felt they were perceived as more productive simply because they were visible to management. Remote workers felt disadvantaged during performance reviews and promotion decisions, believing their contributions were undervalued compared to in-office colleagues. This created resentment and damaged team cohesion.
- Inconsistent Performance Measurement
Managers had no objective way to measure productivity across work locations. Office workers' contributions were informally observed, while remote workers' output lacked context. Performance reviews relied on subjective impressions rather than data, leading to perceived unfairness and disputes during review cycles.
- Top Talent Retention Risk
Several high-performing remote employees threatened to leave, citing unfair treatment and lack of recognition. They felt their work was invisible compared to office colleagues who had face-time with leadership. Exit interviews revealed that perceived bias—not actual compensation or workload—was driving top talent away.
- Hybrid Policy Controversy
The company's flexible hybrid policy faced internal criticism. Some managers wanted to mandate office attendance, believing remote workers were less productive. Others defended remote flexibility as essential for talent retention. Without objective data, leadership couldn't make evidence-based decisions about hybrid work policy.
The Solution
Unified Time Tracking Across All Work Locations
The company implemented WorkComposer universally across all employees—office, remote, and hybrid—creating equal visibility into productivity regardless of work location. The goal was fair, objective performance measurement that eliminated proximity bias and restored trust in the hybrid work model.
- 1. Universal Implementation Across All Locations
- WorkComposer was deployed to every employee—whether working from the office, home, or flexible locations. This eliminated the perception that only remote workers were being monitored. Everyone operated under the same system with the same metrics, creating fairness through universal application.
- 2. Location-Agnostic Performance Metrics
- The system tracked productivity based on work output and task completion, not physical location. Managers viewed the same dashboards for all team members regardless of where they worked. Performance reviews became data-driven, comparing actual output rather than visibility or office attendance.
- 3. Transparent Data Access for All Employees
- Every employee could see their own productivity data and understand how they were being measured. This transparency eliminated suspicion about unfair tracking or bias. Employees appreciated knowing they were evaluated on the same objective criteria as their colleagues, regardless of work location.
- 4. Data-Driven Hybrid Work Policy Decisions
- Leadership used aggregate productivity data to validate the hybrid work model. The data showed no productivity difference between office and remote workers, ending the debate about mandatory office attendance. This evidence-based approach supported employee choice while maintaining accountability.
Implementation
Fair Rollout Across All Work Locations Simultaneously
Leadership announced the universal implementation emphasizing fairness—everyone would be measured the same way, regardless of location. All-hands meetings addressed concerns about monitoring, explained the fairness rationale, and emphasized that the goal was eliminating bias, not surveillance.
Deployed WorkComposer to all 120 employees on the same day—office, remote, and hybrid workers. Conducted identical training sessions for all groups. Emphasized that everyone operates under the same system with the same metrics, ensuring no group felt singled out or disadvantaged.
Trained all managers to interpret productivity data objectively without considering work location. Created standardized performance review templates using the same metrics for all employees. Emphasized using data to support decisions rather than relying on visibility or proximity impressions.
Conducted performance discussions using objective productivity data. Both remote and office employees received fair, data-backed reviews. Employee surveys showed 92% agreement that the new system was fair, compared to 58% satisfaction with previous subjective reviews.
Results
Fair Performance Measurement Strengthened Hybrid Culture
- ✓100% Equal Performance Visibility
- Managers gained identical visibility into productivity for all employees regardless of work location. Performance reviews became data-driven, comparing actual output rather than office presence. This eliminated proximity bias and created fair evaluation criteria across all work arrangements.
- ↑92% Employee Fairness Rating
- Employee surveys showed 92% agreed the performance measurement system was fair, up from 58% before implementation. Both remote and office workers felt evaluated objectively. The transparency and universal application eliminated perceptions of bias based on work location.
- 0Zero Top Talent Turnover
- All high-performing employees who had considered leaving due to perceived bias remained with the company. Remote workers felt their contributions were finally visible and valued. Retention of top performers improved from 82% to 100% in the 12 months post-implementation.
- 📊No Productivity Difference by Location
- Data proved remote workers were equally productive as office workers—ending the debate about mandatory office attendance. Some remote employees actually showed 8% higher productivity due to fewer interruptions. This validated the flexible hybrid policy with concrete evidence.
- ↑85% Employee Satisfaction with Hybrid Model
- Overall satisfaction with the hybrid work policy increased from 64% to 85%. Employees appreciated the flexibility combined with fair performance measurement. The company became known in the industry for having a healthy, data-driven hybrid culture that respected employee choice.
- ↓Eliminated Proximity Bias in Promotions
- Promotion decisions became objective and data-backed rather than influenced by office visibility. Remote employees received promotions at the same rate as office workers (previously 40% lower). Performance-based advancement replaced proximity-based advancement, improving meritocracy.
"Our hybrid work policy was creating division—remote workers felt undervalued, and office workers felt unfairly scrutinized. WorkComposer gave us objective data that treated everyone the same, regardless of where they sat. The fairness rating jumped to 92%, we retained all our top performers who were considering leaving, and we proved with data that location doesn't matter—productivity does. This tool saved our hybrid culture and turned potential conflict into competitive advantage."
Related Solutions
Explore How WorkComposer Can Help Your Hybrid Team
Remote Team Time Tracking
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Employee Accountability
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Software Development
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- ✓ Automatic and manual time tracking
- ✓ Real-time productivity reports
- ✓ Web and app usage monitoring
- ✓ Screenshots and attendance tracking
- ✓ Easy team onboarding
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