The world is starting to open up again. As a result, the conversation of returning to work is coming to the fore. What rests top of mind for me are the implications of the various ‘return to work’ options on inclusivity in the workplace. This is an important consideration for any woman, whether you are:
- Returning to the office full time
- Continuing to work from ‘home’ in perpetuity, or
- Working for a company that is adopting a hybrid approach
Tackling issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in any realm is challenging. Each time this topic is brought up, it’s difficult not to go down the rabbit hole of systemic issues that impact DEI in the first place. But in the interest of brevity, and defining actionable strategies toward DEI on a more micro level, let’s consider how companies can make the “return to work” experience inclusive for all employees.
Where we are now
I recently read McKinsey’s 2020 Women in the Workplace study. One of the (somewhat obvious) findings is that women (and especially women of colour) have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The study also found Black women are less likely than men or women of other races to feel supported by their manager. These are not ground-breaking findings. We’ve all seen these things play out before. Nevertheless, this study backs up Black women’s experience of the world with data and the credibility of a top consulting firm.
My personal frustration with DEI studies, is that they often seem to be studies for studies’ sake. We have the data, now what?
The objective of the effort to find data needs to be aligned with incentives to correct the problems the data uncovers. After our workplaces ‘discover’ that employees have experienced remote work in completely different ways, what do they do with that information? Companies that genuinely care about DEI, cannot think about return to work (or shift to a hybrid working environment) without deeply considering the potential impact on inclusion and equity.
DEI implications of remote working
A 2020 WerkLabs study found that women self-reported job satisfaction at 27% lower than men. WerkLabs constructed a male vs. female action matrix of survey participants and found that, for female respondents, the greatest opportunities for improving their experience are:
- Flexibility
- Organisational and team leadership
- Holistic support
- Job clarity
Again with the ground-breaking insights!
In talking to friends, it’s clear to me that a lot of us have genuine concerns about working remotely post-pandemic. Since the pandemic, how many of the systemic issues have been addressed? (insert side eye) And how do we know that they will be addressed, particularly if a large part of the workforce opts out of the traditionally rewarded visibility-centric performance indicators? For many of us (young, growth- and progression-minded employees), there is a real anxiety around what opting to take advantage of flexible working arrangements will mean for our current and future prospects. Unless our employers see remote working as an opportunity, they will likely not prioritise changes to KPI metrics to accommodate staff who are not co-located with their managers. Nor will they ensure that remote staff have access to opportunities for networking with senior executives.
DEI and the Bottom Line
In a 2018 study conducted by BCG, researchers found that diverse management teams achieve 19% higher revenues crediting innovation. There are various other studies that also make a case for diversity in management from a bottom line perspective.
A 2016 paper titled Is gender diversity profitable? , drives this point even further. It highlights that in 91 countries, companies with 30% representation of female leaders attained a 15% increase in net revenue margin.
The incentives to the companies we work for are clear: hire, retain and support diverse talent to increase your profits. What a capitalist dream.
A few suggestions for the ‘return to work’
Flexible working arrangements have traditionally been associated with people who are not men, i.e. those of us that fall under the ‘diversity’ umbrella term. This should make the need to implement strategies for integrating remote workers with co-located workers more urgent to true profiteers. How can they do this? Let’s count the ways.
Employers could:
- Define new performance objectives to ensure equitable reviews between co-located and remote staff
- Define a new set of competencies, especially for managers, to ensure they are getting the best from ALL their team members (whether working from home or the office)
- Host internal networking events and set aside budget to allow remote workers to travel to the office for these events. This can also be done at a department or team-level. The point is to ensure meaningful social engagement for all employees
- Provide basic amenities in the workplace to reasonably ensure the comfort of all employees who work from the office. For example:
- Free sanitary products
- Dedicated prayer rooms
- Quiet areas for focused work when the buzz of open plan working gets overwhelming
- A garden (because who hasn’t developed a plant obsession during the pandemic?) etc.
Where we want to be
The examples I have listed above, of how companies can make the return to work more inclusive, are not exhaustive. But I hope they make it very clear how far we are from optimising for inclusion, and how important it is to hold companies accountable.
In a utopian world, employees would feel equally comfortable, productive and visible whether they work remotely, in an office, or a combination of the two. This would be entirely irrespective of their race, gender identity, class, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion etc.
In utopian world:
- Central air conditioning in offices isn’t set to Connor’s metabolic equivalent
- Instead of condoms, free sanitary products are available in all staff restrooms
- A secluded space is provided for breastfeeding parents to pump in peace
- Nap pods are present, and the stigma against rest is not
- Key performance indicators are redefined to ensure fairness in promotion and salary review decisions
- Formal networking is reimagined to include those of us who have a seat at the table, but for various reasons cannot make it to the room on Tuesday
Clearly, we’re very far from Utopia. But let’s keep fighting the good fight.
Gamu Chikwanda is a STEM graduate who is passionate about all things at the intersection of race and feminism, especially in the workplace. She is a market risk advisor who has worked in banks in the UK and South Africa. Having sat on various panels, and featured as the diversity token in corporate marketing campaigns, she writes about diversity equity and inclusion from that and other perspectives.
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