Research Note

The Difference Between Presence and Performance

Audience

Executives, HR leaders

Core question

What does attendance actually evidence about contribution?

Thesis

Presence is measurable and performance is not its proxy. The research on proximity shows real effects — mentoring, weak ties, visibility — and real bias; conflating attendance with contribution rewards the visible over the effective.

Suggested structure
  1. What proximity research actually shows
  2. Proximity bias: the career evidence
  3. Why presence value must be demonstrated per task and team
  4. Governing the conflation risk
Research sources
  • Proximity and promotion studies
  • Remote performance trials (Bloom et al.)
Workplaced relation

None

Related methods
Full article body — in development.