Kim Rader Subject:
How can we build equity in hybrid communities
How Can We Build Equity In Hybrid Communities? [Greeting] As companies increasingly turn to hybrid work, with adoption jumping from 47% to 90% during the pandemic, how can they ensure that every employee—regardless of their physical location—has an equal seat at the table? Combining remote and in-office work brings a new set of organizational dynamics that can impede diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Employees certainly benefit from the flexibility of hybrid work, which can offer the comfort and focus of working from home as well as the camaraderie and culture of working from an office. Yet there is an undercurrent of concern that those who work mostly from the office will have an implicit advantage over those who do not. For instance, one study found that 62% of supervisors believe full-time remote work is detrimental to employees’ career objectives, and 67% consider remote employees to be more “replaceable” than employees who work in the office. From a management perspective, equity in hybrid environments depends on an employee’s visibility and accessibility to supervisors and those with decision-making power, as well as their ability to navigate relationships and effectively ask for the resources they need. How can we leverage the built environment to facilitate these objectives while reinforcing an inclusive, supportive hybrid work culture? Here, and in upcoming communications, we explore three essential sources of bias within hybrid work environments along with strategies to address them: • •
Organizational bias: Discrepancies in visibility and access between in-office and remote workers. Community bias: Obstacles to building meaningful relationships within a hybrid workforce. 1
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Technological bias: Differences in tools, technology, and ergonomics at home versus in the office.
We look forward to continuing this conversation with you over the coming months. Best, [SENDER NAME]
Many remote employees have struggled to find work/life balance during the pandemic. According to our data, more than 4 in 10 survey respondents find it hard to disconnect at the end of the day when working remotely. This trend is more pronounced for Millennials and Gen X than for Baby Boomers.
Our findings are confirmed by data from the UK, which found that remote workers put in almost double the number of overtime hours as in-office colleagues—a trend that began long before the pandemic. However, this same study indicated that even while remote employees are working longer hours, they are less than half as likely to be promoted and 38% less likely to receive a bonus than those who primarily work in the office.
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When it comes to hybrid work, organizational bias can show up as preferential treatment (promotions, pay increases) given to in-office versus remote employees, such as promotions and pay increases. Discrimination based on gender (which can show up for women who take on a disproportionate load of childcare duties while working remotely) and time availability (the willingness or ability to work overtime or be available outside of traditional working hours) are pervasive and equally problematic. Strategies to address organizational biases include:
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Perkins Eastman uses design thinking to arrive at humancentered solutions for environments and organizations, add value, and position our clients for lasting success. Copyright Perkins Eastman 2022
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