- Hybrid work arrangements potentially offer companies the opportunity to improve their inclusion efforts
- Mix of in-person and remote work can help businesses improve key elements such as fair treatment, diversity, belonging, and trust
- Companies should be cautious to avoid potential pitfalls with hybrid work arrangements
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
Hybrid work arrangements can greatly improve a company’s inclusion efforts, according to the global research and advisory firm Gartner Inc., but leaders must ensure that they address challenges unique to this workplace setup.
Following the widespread adoption of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are increasingly adopting hybrid work models where employees spend some of their week at a physical workplace and some of it working remotely. Gartner determined that organizations that effectively transition to a hybrid model while putting sustainable initiatives into place can improve their inclusion (defined as having the key elements of fair treatment, diversity, belonging, and trust) by 24 percent.
- Prior to the pandemic, inclusion initiatives were largely limited to in-person workplace initiatives and events; a hybrid model potentially allows greater opportunities to expand such efforts
- Gartner cautions that hybrid arrangements can result in less visibility, allowing unfair treatment to go unchecked and leading to less trust from employees
- The firm recommends that employers train employees in recognizing and reporting microaggressions, establishing professional networking channels that allow opportunities for underrepresented workers to connect with mentors, and setting up financial and physical well-being programs
- Businesses are also advised to establish metrics to help them assess the current state of the company and track improvements over time
