Three Threats to an Equitable and Inclusive Hybrid Workplace
Two plus years into the pandemic, most of us have overcome the challenges of the hybrid workplace: the awkwardness of being on camera for virtual meetings and knowing how to use the Mute button, well, mostly anyway. However, as we settle into this new way of working, additional challenges are beginning to surface. The hybrid workplace highlights not only the traditional thinking about equity and inclusion, but also introduces new equity and inclusion challenges as they relate to the physical versus the virtual environment employee experience. ChangeStaffing sat down with Sandra Bresson, Global Workplace Change Manager at CBRE, to learn more about three threats to equity and inclusion in a hybrid workplace: uneven face time with leaders, the loss of candid conversations, and virtual meeting technology that’s lagging.
Uneven face time with leaders
Imagine this scenario: a team meeting is being held with remote and in-person attendees. Josh and Vicky, two mid-level employees, have dialed into the meeting remotely and have been chatting virtually about a sensitive topic while they wait for their team members to join the meeting. David, a new analyst, just joined the call from an office conference room where Charlie, a Senior VP, physically joins him in the room. The four of them go through the meeting agenda and the meeting concludes. Josh and Vicky leave the call and David and Charlie stay in the conference room to chat. David and Charlie are able to have a productive, in-person discussion to reflect on the meeting that just occurred. David is also given face time with a senior leader. The question that arises is, will David’s career have leg up on his remote coworkers because of the opportunity for face-to-face dialogue with his senior leader? Equity can be defined as “the act of ensuring that processes and programs are impartial, fair, and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual.” Many remote workers are concerned that their career could be negatively impacted by missing out on impromptu in-person interactions with senior leaders and other key co-workers, while their peers may benefit from in-office interactions.
Recommendations: Coach leaders to be deliberate and intentional about providing one-on-one face time to all employees in order to create an equitable employee experience for remote and in-person workers. Have leaders be impartial and fair as it relates to the dynamics created by a hybrid workplace as a part of their everyday leadership style and approach.
Loss of candid conversations
Consider the earlier scenario: Josh and Vicky, the mid-level employees, had a candid conversation before the meeting began. Their conversation prior to the meeting was relevant and would have been helpful for David and Charlie to be aware of, but because they were participating remotely, Josh and Vicky didn’t feel comfortable sharing the sensitive information with their colleagues that were in-person. Inclusion can be defined as “the practice of ensuring that people feel a sense of belonging in the workplace.” This means that every employee feels comfortable and supported by the organization when it comes to being their authentic selves.” In this scenario, Josh and Vicky likely felt a lack of inclusivity since they were hesitant to share sensitive information in a remote environment.
Recommendations: Guide organizations in creating awareness of inclusion challenges and share best practices for effective engagement with a mix of in-person and remote employees. For example, organizations could provide training on modern facilitation techniques to all people managers.
Virtual meeting technology that’s lagging
The technology of an organization may require an upgrade to allow for equity and inclusion in the hybrid workplace. For example, how will those that are on a virtual call see what’s being drawn on a static whiteboard in the room? Most meetings are a safe space to ideate and using a whiteboard or sketching ideas on a notepad is common; how will remote workers be included in this process to enable full collaboration?
Recommendations: Have organizations consider making a solid investment in their technology (with input and coordination from key cross-functional groups) that will enable an equitable employee experience, whether remote or in-person. For example, a hybrid workplace technology solution that consolidates video, telephony, physical meeting rooms, and webinars into a single source solution that’s a user-friendly interface for the employee.
While no one has all of the answers, one thing is certain in this post-pandemic environment: we all have a responsibility to be sensitive to the new challenges that the hybrid workplace brings. It’s important that Organizational Change Management consultants are aware of the engagement impacts of the hybrid workplace and champion solutions to address these challenges. OCMers can lead the way in terms of being aware, intentional, and deliberate in encouraging an equitable and inclusive hybrid workplace for all employees.
Contact ChangeStaffing for support with hybrid workplace challenges and for guidance on new ways of working.
A very special thank you to Sandra Bresson, Global Workplace Change Manager at CBRE, for her thought leadership and for collaborating with us on this blog.
Written by Kylette Harrison