How remote working can lead to a more equal, diverse and inclusive workplace
2020 was the year every workplace had to adjust at speed in response to the pandemic, and demonstrate high levels of agility. 2021 will be the year of the legacy from these adjustments.
The extent to which a workplace has been able to consider the legacy thus far will vary significantly depending upon the continuing impact of Covid. Much of travel, hospitality and retail (amongst others) are focused on survival right now. Health is still dealing with the emergency, and that is before it starts work on the backlog. Whichever end of the spectrum there have been changes which will persist.
Many organisations will be well underway with their review of practices, and in forming a clear idea of how the lessons learned can be applied to enable future success. There are a number of possibilities which can lead to more equal, diverse and inclusive workplaces.
Employee engagement
Determining the nature of future operations is not just a job for the managers. Organisations can set a tone by the inclusivity of this process, and making sure everyone’s voices are sought and heard. Every employee has had their own experience of lockdown including many which are yet to be shared; not everyone has yet returned to their workplace. Plenty will not want to lose some of the flexibilities, and will look elsewhere if they are not retained. Employees will also be able to consider the problem from the perspective of their managers given the right forum and a little time.
The best managers will look to the long-term, not just the remnants of what could be retained from the pandemic. Employees need to see that their organisation plans to prosper, not just make it through, and seeks a compelling future vision using the pandemic as a catalyst for change.
2. Equality of the screen
There is something quite liberating about the electronic meeting. Unlike the boardroom individuals do not get to decide which position they ‘sit’ on the screen, or their proximity to the chair and other decision-makers. There is no head of the table. Spaces cannot be reserved. No one can use their physical presence to stretch themselves out or encroach on anyone else’s space. It does not matter how tall or broad anyone might be, the space on the screen is the same. No one can see the new status symbol purchases of the watch, the bag or the shoes. The state of the room behind you (and whoever might be in it) is masked by your choice of background. If someone wanted to fill their entire box on the screen with their face they could, but it would be more than a little strange. We have all seen that parish council meeting by now. For those who are reluctant to contribute verbally, or struggle to get a word in or their hand noticed, typed contributions are also possible.
Electronic meetings can and should lead to different kinds of conversations. The fact that many have not is beside the point. If all that has happened so far is a worse version of a meeting that was already a struggle to get through, it motivates no one. There will always be limits to a two dimensional experience, but the technology can be used to create a different experience not available in three dimensions either.
3. Workplace culture
If appearance does not count for nearly as much at least the same applies to keeping up appearances. If a proportion of employees are no longer in the building, aspects of workplace culture will inevitably change. Whether someone is the first to arrive and the last to leave is no longer relevant if few are looking and the CEO is working from home. Using delay delivery to pretend you sent the email at 6am or 11pm is fooling nobody. Getting yourself noticed may well become a simple matter of merit.
There is no water cooler equivalent and fewer opportunities for informal moments in general. There are disadvantages here too, but a ‘boys’ club’ culture is much harder to generate and sustain. I have heard many descriptions of workplaces under lockdown which have been suddenly forced into remote learning, but not the word ‘toxic’ which often seemed to be routine before. Many did not mourn the absence of their stifling open plan office, fewer still their Christmas works party.
Those who may not have got the promotions because their ‘face didn’t fit’ could find the ground levelling out. It can be more obvious now if the diversity on the screen for a whole staff meeting looks very different from the middle senior meeting, and different again for senior. If it looks more obvious to the CEO they will not be the only one who notices.
4. Training and professional development
The cost of many forms of training has already fallen and may yet fall further. Partly this is because there is no conference room to hire or refreshments, travel and hotels to pay for. It is also because the numbers who can attend are now unlimited so a ‘four speaker two workshop’ package, for example, that was split amongst hundreds may now be split amongst thousands. This enables an organisation’s professional development budget to stretch a lot further and ensure a greater level of access for each employee. The range of what is available is dazzling and organisations can benefit from employees researching the market for them as they find what they are looking for. The course or provider which helps them could help many others.
The proliferation of online/email/video training options also means it does not have to be completed in work hours. I am not advocating that training should only be an extra-curricular activity but if the conference is taking place on the other side of the world an employee can watch the recording or participate at anti-social hours if they choose.
5.Flexibility
The pandemic has accelerated existing trends. If it really does not matter where most or all of a job is completed or at what time then it opens many possibilities. This includes some with disabilities for whom access to many workplaces may be possible in theory but the barriers of the commute made it impossible. Requests for flexible work or parental leave can be managed in many different ways and are harder to refuse. Again one workplace will offer what another does not.
The same applies to the basic unit size of a job. 36 hours over 5 days may remain the most common pattern, but the proportion actually doing it could slide into a minority. Someone who needs to do fewer hours because of their responsibilities elsewhere could find either that those hours do not need to be done by someone else, and if they do there are plenty willing to fill them. Job shares were becoming more popular before the pandemic, double job shares will also become more prominent with 1.25/0.75 split.
At some point all of this will need to be enshrined in an organisation's policies and procedures. My view is that this could wait a little while. Existing policies may well offer all the flexibility required, it is just that it may not have been explored so often. If they do not, then let employees generate the momentum for how their organisation operates in the future. Those who make that happen will be the ones who benefit in the long run, and those who seek to become a more equal, diverse and inclusive workplace will ultimately be the ones who are most productive.
