Flexible Working, Diversity and Inclusion are Becoming the Norm in the Workplace

It’s safe to say that this pandemic has turned into a worldwide experiment on remote and flexible working culture. Many companies are turning to the WFH model, which helps to remove a lot of limitations connected to socioeconomic status, race, gender, disabilities and age.

People are no longer restrained by their location or experience, and internships are much easier to find. Workers finally have the opportunity to develop their skills online and prove that they can be as productive at home as they are in an office setting.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the removed roadblocks in the working environment, as well as what can be done to maintain inclusivity and diversity by every type of business - big and small.

Remote working is the gateway to success

All companies want experienced employees, but how many of them offer training programs? It’s a well-known fact that young people find it very difficult to get that required experience in order to start their career journey, and that’s especially true if they come from a lower-income family.

Remote working and flexible offices have opened a new world of possibilities for so many people. Recruiters are expanding their search horizons and finally include talent pools that were previously ignored, such as people with disabilities, ones from diasporic communities with a low income, women and much more.

Of course, there will always be a certain systematic, structural and racial bias that can’t be removed from the prejudiced minds of some recruiters and companies. But right now, we’ll focus on all the factors that are changing for the better.

Overcoming geographical boundaries

Simply put, they no longer exist. Recruiters in London can easily find an intern in Nigeria, for example, as long as they meet the criteria of the company. Finally, people can focus on what’s really important - the candidate’s experience and their desire to learn and improve. Whether it’s for a paid position or an internship, millions of people finally have the opportunity to increase their knowledge and experience without having to relocate and spend money they don’t have.

Speaking of relocation, many people want to have this opportunity and develop their skills outside their home country. They need working experience in that field from a recognized company, which can be extremely difficult to achieve if the said person lives in a place where businesses like this don’t exist.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case. While it’s a shame that it took a global pandemic to make remote working a norm, we’ll take it nonetheless. Huge companies like Amazon, Facebook, Hubspot, American Express, Hotjar and many others, have switched to either fully remote or at least 50%. This is an amazing opportunity for people all over the world with different types of backgrounds.

We can only hope that once things are restored (at least relatively) to normal, the inclusive way of recruiting will only improve instead of falling backwards.

Inclusivity for people with disabilities

With the restriction of physical offices removed, the disabled community can become a part of a modern, flexible working environment and their limitations will no longer matter. This has been a problem for many decades now, with many businesses refusing to accept the fact that they don’t offer the required conditions. However, now that millions are forced to switch to remote work, the working environment for people with disabilities is finally changing for the better.

• Remote working removes the need for travel which is impossible for many individuals.
• A lot of office spaces aren’t built for disabled people, so working from home is a great opportunity.
• People with visual and hearing impairments often find it difficult to access information in an open-plan office, and it’s vital for them to have the appropriate space and technology.
• This type of office is also not fitted for neurodiverse employees. A lot of them will have difficulties concentrating and being productive in an environment that’s out of their control.
• People with conditions such as ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) can’t be bound by the typical 9-5 day that’s present in many companies. A lot of them can be a lot more productive at nighttime, or they just have short, intense outbursts of energy, during which they work a lot and then have to rest. Remote working makes a schedule like this possible.

Understanding the struggles of working parents

Maintaining a high-salary job is extremely challenging for individuals that are taking care of children. With most schools and daycare centers closed, parents either need to stay at home to look after their kids or hire a private tutor/babysitter. With a yearly gain of barely £20,000 ($27,800), this is close to impossible.

Even if daycare was more affordable, many parents are rightfully scared of letting their children go there because of COVID-19. A lot of families have members that are high-risk and don’t have the luxury of being calm and carefree about those issues.

Flexible and remote working is the perfect solution for achieving this sought-after work-life balance. The primary caregivers of the family, mostly women, can finally combine their family and professional responsibilities by creating a work schedule that accommodates their needs.

Change is a combined effort

If we want to truly shift the way people work and recruit, there needs to be an equal amount of dedication from all levels of the organization. One way to do this is through regular surveys and meetings. What better way to understand the needs of your employees than to just ask them directly?

By including everyone in the process and work management, the change to a more inclusive and diverse environment will become more permanent. Clearly show to your workers the injustice that has been shown to marginalized groups in the past, so that they can take this knowledge and pass it to the next generation, to their next workplace and to their lives in general.

Through surveys and constant communication, you can also pay attention to those marginalized communities and see how you can be a better ally and provide them with a better working environment. Maybe the mothers need earlier shifts so that they can have more time at home with their family and attend to personal matters? People with disabilities might need certain technology that should be provided to them by the company.

Whatever the case is, it’s important to listen to the people you’re working with. Make sure that HR representatives and recruiters are just as passionate about diversifying the workforce as you are. After all, they’re the people who bring in new employees.

Partner with universities and offer internships to students from low-income backgrounds so that they can find jobs easier. Partner up with organizations that work with those communities so that you are always aware of the present issues.

And most importantly, make sure that you...

Set an example from the top

Change is indeed a combined effort, but it still needs to start from somewhere. Be that spark that will ignite the fire of justice in your company. It sounds dramatic but it’s the truth.

Truth be told, this process should have started a lot earlier, and it should have been influential individuals instead of a global pandemic. But even today is still sooner than tomorrow or next week. Business owners, entrepreneurs, HR representatives and everyone else in a place of power should be the people to initiate the shift in the global working environment. Ensuring that there’s diversity in recruitment, accessible offices and flexible working conditions is only the beginning. And all the actions taken need to be completely visible to everyone in the company. Not as an empty brag but as an example for people to follow.

Conclusion

As more and more institutions promote diversity and inclusion, the expectation on businesses to assess and develop their organizational diversity goals is higher than ever. Moving forward, even after the pandemic is over, we need to combine all of our efforts and work together towards a much better world. People from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, women and all other marginalized groups have always been here and have always struggled to have a fair shot in life. It’s time to catch up, help them and just like this made-up quote says, “be the change we want to see in the world.”