Businesses looking to attract and develop diverse talent know that it’s only possible through fostering a culture of openness and inclusivity. This involves everyone – not just equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) leaders – thinking inclusively about day-to-day activity, from allocating work, to scheduling meetings, to communications and feedback.
People’s working pattern (e.g. hybrid, remote, flexitime, job share) plays a big part in shaping their sense of organisational belonging or exclusion and should be considered carefully in the context of developing EDI strategies.
Our findings from conversations with employees highlight the important role flexible working can play in valuing people and promoting a sense of belonging, as well as extending practical control over managing their work around their non-working lives.
Of course not every company has remote options available to them because of differing business models: the (60%) and most jobs don’t have the option to work from home. According to the latest ONS data, option in the autumn of 2024.
When considering flexible working in the context of EDI, it’s vital that senior staff are mindful of where benefits can disproportionately fall. It’s a way of working that predominantly benefits managers and senior leaders – they are among the most likely to work in a hybrid way (45% versus 27% of all workers).
An absence of, or rowing back on, flexible working can, by contrast, disproportionately impact and risk . Women and those with long-term health conditions and disabilities are among the most likely to be negatively impacted by return to office mandates.
We know from our work that many employers are mindful of and are seeking to address this by taking a proactive approach and widening the offer of flexibility so that all have input and control over their working pattern.
shows us that it’s the element of control that is most strongly associated with organisational inclusion and belonging, which in turn is related to engagement and performance.
We’re working directly with employers that have high proportions of site-based employees on moving forward in this area, including those in , and . We’re discovering more and more employers who are keen to innovate around ways of working precisely to build more inclusive workspaces.
For employers who are serious about valuing diversity through inclusion, aligning . This involves seeking to extend some level of choice and control to employees over their working pattern. With introducing the right to flexibility working by default, this is the moment to embrace it as part of a holistic EDI approach – one which fosters resilience and inclusivity at every level of your organisation.