DEIB, Diversity & Inclusion, Employee Experience, Remote & Hybrid Culture, Sharing
Data from LinkedIn shows that remote work opportunities are on the decline. Here’s what HR must do to preserve hard won progress on diversity and inclusion.
The opportunities for remote work are plummeting.
As many organizations brace for economic hardship in 2023, those companies that are still looking to hire are more likely to want new employees to come to the office. According to October data from LinkedIn, 50% of new job applicants are seeking remote work but — a key attribute that helps make workplaces more inclusive. By definition, a workplace that is inflexible can only serve the needs of a select few.
People from traditionally marginalized backgrounds have different needs when entering the workplace, balancing choices in their lives that are invisible to others.
As an example, Lute recalls a conversation he had with a Black woman working in an Atlanta office who was relocated to a smaller city in Florida. Atlanta is a southern city, but has a cosmopolitan population and a breadth of diversity that isn’t always found in other parts of the Southeastern U.S.
“Her quality of life and who she had to be there, the politics of the place, just all of those things, really, really impacted her day-to-day experience of work,” Lute says. “The atmosphere of where you live and work actually does matter.”
Additionally, remote work can reduce exposure to microaggressions or casual racism in the workplace.
“There's a whole thing about people having their behavior policed,” Lute says. “How do you dress? How do you wear your hair? All of those things come into play in people's day-to-day experience.”
But behind the screen, those interactions become easier to manage. Some employees value that, even if it means missing out on deeper connections with colleagues.
What HR leaders can do
For companies where remote work isn’t an option — a growing reality for many organizations — there are some ways to compensate with other investments in the employee experience. Here’s what Lute recommends:
1. Double down on becoming an inclusive workplace.
Remote work isn’t a cheat code for improving diversity and inclusion at your organization, Lute says. In fact, remote work comes with its own issues in creating a great workplace culture. Behind the screen, it can be tougher for employees to feel like they belong.
“People will have to make the choice,” explains Lute. “I'd rather work remote at a company that is a little crappier, but it's remote, and it supports my lifestyle — or there's actually a company that really treats people well, and while it may not be fully remote, there are all these other benefits that I can get from that that can actually still support me.”
2. Find your workplace culture ambassadors.
Great workplaces can tap into employee ambassadors who will validate the experience at a workplace — with or without remote work.
“You've got to treat the people who are currently working for you in a way that they can be on your side and be able to advocate that you are a great workplace,” Lute says.
3. Make sure entry level roles are as open as possible.
As . If you can’t offer remote work, Lute recommends looking at expanding child care or elder care services.
5. Think about how programs will impact all employees.
For HR leaders, getting buy-in on a new initiative to support diversity and inclusion can be tough. Remote work is being phased out for a reason, and asking for new expenditures amid recession fears could be difficult.
HR pros should analyze how new programs are likely to help the entire workforce, not just a target demographic. “Once you're helping certain groups that might have been marginalized, more often than not, you're actually helping lots of other people,” Lute says.
“Once you offer benefits to engage and respond to people's real human needs, you find that some of those needs have always been under the surface, but just never communicated.”
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