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Workplaces that Work for Everyone?

Tina McHugh

Senior Research Associate

Published August 28, 2023

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2023, employers are navigating tricky legal and cultural debates associated with their DEI efforts and expecting (and increasingly enforcing) more in-office time for employees. But a diverse and distributed workforce makes it extremely challenging to create workplaces that work for everyone.

Uncertainty for Corporate DEI Efforts

Earlier this week we heard from our members concerned about the impact of the recent Supreme Court decision upending affirmative action policies in college and university admissions. With news that DEI staff and initiatives are being rolled back in many workplaces, we heard some good news. “Business as usual” was largely the sentiment with a continued commitment to efforts that enhance belonging, psychological safety and allyship and which work for everybody. 

While employers should be examining hiring, promotion, and compensation policies that may present legal risks, in a recent HBR article Yoshino and Glasgow suggest three types of diversity and inclusion work that will endure: 

  • Debiasing work that seeks to level the playing field, such as conducting structured interviews with consistent questions;
  • Ambient work aimed at advancing workforce diversity overall, such as employee resource groups and flexible work;
  • Universal work that “lifts all boats together”, such as allyship.

Amid a broader cultural backlash against many DEI efforts, employers are trying to find ways to engage employees with objections or differing viewpoints. Many are doubling down on re-asserting non-negotiable core values such as empathy, civility, and respect for all, creating forums where all are welcome, and ramping up messaging on how to access resources and supports.

Frustration over Return-to-Office

The push to return employees to the office is intensifying with leaders frustrated and concerns mounting that remote workers are less productive and in-person work is more efficient and cost-effective. Tech companies have been leading the way in mandating a return to office - accounting for one-third of 600,000 workers facing return-to-office mandates in May - reversing their early adoption of remote-friendly workplaces during the pandemic. There is also a growing recognition that more in-office time is especially critical for new hires and junior employees.

In a recent benchmarking survey of our Roundtable members, 38% reported that their organizations have mandated employees spend more time on-site primarily through leadership messaging (58%) and offering on-site perks and events (53%). A smaller but substantial number said that their organizations are monitoring building swipes (32%) or offering subsidies (21%) to draw people back to the office.

Not surprisingly employee and senior leadership perceptions of the right amount of flexibility diverge and confusion persists from the uneven ways that remote/hybrid work policies are being developed and enforced. As one member stated,

“I think the overall shift to hybrid has been good for employees’ well-being and productivity [but] our current work model has had a negative impact on our overall organizational culture because there’s so much variation in how hybrid has been applied.” 

As employers contemplate how to create a “workplace that works for everyone”, clear expectations and a focus on universal values and solutions will go a long way towards building a truly inclusive and productive workplace.

 

Graphic source: iStock Photo

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