Expert views: how inclusive are new working practices?
By Annie Makoff on 19 December 2022
The traditional 9 to 5 is fast becoming obsolete, with the past three years seeing a dramatic shift in flexible working practices from flexible hours, hybrid working to the four-day week. In many ways, this is had a positive impact on inclusion, but not always. For example, the four-day week can create more pressure on employees if they have to work longer hours to make up for the extra day off, while hot desking can cause problems for those who are neurodivergent.
So what do those in the D&I field think? We spoke to several DEI professionals for their views on the impact new working practices are having on DEI – for better or worse.
1. Employers have duty of care to ensure four-day working week doesn’t negatively impact workplace culture
Lydia Glass, chair of DE&I committee at SEO specialists Blue Array
For those already feeling isolated in the workplace such as remote workers, reducing the working week may decrease human interaction, which may have a knock-on effect on wellbeing. Employers have a duty of care to ensure they mitigate this risk when implementing the four-day working week to still create a sense of community and workplace culture.
Overall I believe the four-day working week is a good initiative, but there are some concerns with how this may play out. More pressure may be placed on the primary caregiver to take on extra responsibilities, further creating disparity in home roles. Also, many are now relying on office days to reduce energy bills, so less time in the office will have a financial impact.
2. Flexible working environments enables businesses to attract more diverse talent
Monica McCoy, founder, Monica Motivates
More flexible working environments – in terms of days, hours and remote opportunities – have helped many professions thrive for decades. The four-day work week in particular, will give employees the support needed to attend to other commitments outside of work. This opens up businesses to attracting talent from more diverse pools, such as carers, young parents and people with disabilities who may face additional challenges in organising a five-day work week, or who might struggle to commute into the city from rural areas.
It will support the push for greater inclusivity of employees with diverse needs so long as it remains flexible. If businesses are only able to offer such a scheme on the condition that employees come into the office on certain days, or work much longer hours, it may have the opposite effect.
3. Ill-thought through working models may isolate certain employee groups so consideration is crucial for implementation
Ali Hanan, founder and CEO, Creative Equals
Hybrid work offers a higher level of flexibility and greater work-life balance. It’s been a game-changer for employees, including working parents those with caring responsibilities or health conditions. So in many ways, hybrid working has had a positive impact on diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&I).
However, it does pose risks. Reaping the rewards of hybrid working is no mean feat. It’s still a relatively new concept, especially for leaders that are bound to the traditional, anachronistic office 9-5. Plus, for many organisations, hybrid working exists as a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, based on desperation rather than consideration. Ill-thought-through working models have the potential to isolate employee groups and create an unequal playing field, posing a risk to DE&I.
4. Working from home can benefit people with disabilities – providing employers make reasonable adjustments
Chris Jay, Managing Director of Bascule Disability Training
People with disabilities have been calling for a more welcoming workplace attitude for years so it’s wonderful that this shift has occurred. However, simply introducing these policies doesn’t make it fully inclusive.
Video meetings can be difficult for those with visual or hearing impairments, for example, due to visual meeting material or background noise.
Working from home however, is a great option for people with disabilities as long as it’s a choice and not as a way for employers to avoid making reasonable adjustments in the physical office. In fact, employers have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments for remote workers, just as they would for those on the premises, whether it’s assistive technology or providing ergonomic furniture.
5. Flexibility empowers working parents to achieve a healthy work/life balance
Alison Green, director, WOMBA (Work, Me and the Baby)
Triggered by COVID-19, the increase in flexible working practices has helped to create more inclusive organisations. Flexibility empowers working parents and enables both mums and dads to manage their time between work and home requirements. For working mothers in particular, it reduces the need to make a choice between caring for family and having a career. Equal flexible working policies help to ensure the responsibility of caring can be shared and both parents can continue to manage their careers.
6. Workplace flexibility has positive impact on certain groups, but there’s been recent push back against hybrid and flexible working
Jonathan Shevlane, employment lawyer and trainer, Birketts
Generally, the increased opportunity to work flexibly has had a positive impact on inclusivity. Anecdotally from our clients, it has had a positive impact on the ability of certain groups (e.g. physically disabled employees, parents or those with childcare responsibilities which tends to fall disproportionately towards women) to participate effectively in teams. We have, however, more recently seen a push back in certain sectors against hybrid and flexible working with this “traditionalist” approach most recently seen starkly in the press through the public comments of Elon Musk and others.
Overall, employers who have adapted most effectively to the post-pandemic demand for hybrid working in their approach to line management, team dynamics, communication and workplace culture are generally those who have planned for and accepted hybrid working as the “new normal”, and thus put in the time, resources, energy and training required to succeed in this area.
7. New ways of working has many positive impacts, but existing inequalities continue regardless of working methods
Martyna Śliwa, professor of business ethics and organisation studies, Durham University Business School
There are many positive impacts from new ways of working on the workforce and on organisations, but we must bear in mind that many people cannot benefit from hybrid working or working through virtual platforms. If you are a van driver, a plumber, a nurse or a supermarket worker, you are unlikely to be able to work from home.So one big divide brought in by the new ways of working has been between those who are actually able to take advantage of these and those who aren’t, due to the nature of their job or employment.
In addition, organisations do not always clearly communicate expectations and beliefs around how and when they want their staff to work. For example, when a meeting is being held as ‘hybrid’, it is important to communicate to employees whether they are genuinely free to choose whether to attend it in person or online. i.e. are they expected to attend online only in exceptional circumstances?
Overall, the experience of working during the pandemic has taught us that a lot can be accomplished when we work differently, but it has also shown that the same old inequalities, e.g. in terms of gender, ethnicity and organisational hierarchy, continue to be perpetuated regardless of the mode of working.
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