Flexible but not forgotten

Hybrid working is one of the strongest features of the post-pandemic work environment as more and more employees opt to work some days in the office and other days from home.

Yet in spite of this greater flexibility, some remote workers are concerned that out of sight might mean out of mind for office-based managers.

Gillian Harford, executive of the 30% Club Ireland, part of the global campaign for better gender balance throughout organisations, says that while employers are strongly encouraging employees to come into the office a few days a week, the onus is on both employers and employees to ensure that no one is disadvantaged by their choice of where they work.

“It’s less about when you have to be in an office but what work you do when you are there,” says Harford. “Office work is about collaboration, innovation and team work. Task-related work can be done remotely.”

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Harford says employers need to make sure there is no presenteeism bias. “Companies also need to look at their performance and career progression management. They need to look at how assignments are handed out and decisions are rewarded. There needs to be a level playing field for everyone especially since there is still a high percentage of employees working remotely.”

Harford also believes that leaders need to be trained to be inclusive and agile when managing hybrid teams. “Leaders need to be good sponsors and mentors across all the team – those in the office and those working remotely.”

Equally, she says that there is an onus on employees to be visible – wherever they are working. “Employees need to think about how to show presenteeism in a different way, how they network when working remotely and how to know when it’s important to attend a meeting in person.”

Audrey Bell, senior human resources manager with Huawei, says that working remotely changes how employees do their jobs and how they design their work around their life. And this means that managers also have to change the ways they interact with these employees and observe how they reach their goals and prove themselves ready for promotion.

“Technology is key to ensuring that the channels of communication work smoothly,” says Bell. “Even more important though is a team manager who can make an individual feel like they are part of a team and a team feel like they are part of something bigger.”

She says that collaborative workplaces in which employees can share their knowledge with colleagues and ask questions about projects they are working on are essential. “Mangers can observe and interact with their team members in these forums and assess their abilities and contributions and identify the high-performing individuals,” says Bell.

For employees who work partly at home and partly in the office, she says that is important that they make the most of the days when they are in the office.

“Be very focused when it’s the day in the office. Come prepared and set an agenda that includes brainstorming sessions and cross-collaboration meetings and be an active contributor in these meetings,” says Bell.

She says that remote workers should also give their managers regular updates and be fully present in online meetings. “Don’t sit quietly through meetings with your camera off. Show engagement, enthusiasm and interest. Turn on your camera, voice opinions, provide your input,” she advises.

Bell says that managers have a very important role in the hybrid and remote working team. “Managers should commit equal time and focus to each team member and ensure that team members have a continued connectedness to their colleagues and to the company’s objectives,” says Bell. She also suggests bringing the full team together every week, even if it’s only for 15 minutes on a Monday to start the week together or at the end of the week to recap on the week’s work.

Sonya Boyce, the people consulting director with Mazars, says that employers need to judge employees by their productivity not their (physical) presence. She cites the new senior management position, Head of Remote, as a valuable role model and champion for the interests of each company’s remote workforce.

“This is a role at the intersection of optimising processes, transparency, collaboration, efficiency, inclusivity, onboarding, hiring, employee-branding, culture and communication,” says Boyce.

She believes the presence of a senior executive availing of working from home and encouraging others to do so - in line with company expectations – can be a powerful motivator for younger employees, particularly women with young families, to make use of flexible working options.

So-called remote-first practices, where meetings take place online even if only one team member is not in the office, are other government-supported policies aimed at ensuring that remote workers are not disadvantaged. Further changes to the Right to Request Remote Working Bill 2021 are expected to include legislation to ensure remote or hybrid working is facilitated as long as it does not adversely affect the performance of the business or the services it provides to the public.

Boyce also says that employers and employees need to be vigilant to ensure that new working structures – in which some people opt to return to the office full-time while others continue to work in a hybrid fashion – do not exacerbate a gender pay divide.

“A gendered return could lead to a she-cession, as women who work from home are punished by missing out on salary increases and promotion opportunities afforded to their in-office, more visible and typically male colleagues,” says Boyce.