Are you reading more headlines telling us who is mandating a full return to office mandates? Personally, to me it feels like leaders have dusted off a playbook from a century ago about unchecked privilege.
Head back to 1914 for example. In fact, during both world wars, women took on roles traditionally held by men, such as factory work and other essential services, due to the male workforce being deployed in military service. These periods demonstrated women's capability in a wide range of jobs, though many were expected to return to traditional roles after the wars ended.
So, when a dominant group determines they personally don't need the innovative solution, they start to roll it back. Ultimately limiting the number of people who benefit from it.
Is this another case of decisions by people who have “privilege blinkers” on—and are reverting backwards?
What are “privilege blinkers”?
Many of us are wearing invisible blinkers that prevent us from seeing the whole world as it is—we only see our narrow portion of the world.
So, how might we better understand our invisible privilege and power blinkers? Here are some examples:
| Opportunity | Reflection Questions |
| Learn to see your own blinkers | Can you name one of your privileges? How does privilege shape how you see yourself? Can you think of a situation or context where your privilege and/or power shifts? |
| See past them to obtain a more accurate view of other people's realities. | Do you listen (without judgment) to the lived experiences of others? Do you leverage data and insights from a range of people with diverse identities and lived experiences to inform decisions? How does power and privilege shape how we see each other? |
| Reduce shame and guilt and instead, leverage your privilege. | When was the last time you used your power and privilege to serve others? How can you leverage your power and privilege to lead DEI? |
Take the return-to-office mandate example. Research tells us for knowledge and wisdom workers (where work can be done from anywhere) that the preferred way of working is the purpose-based, hybrid model. This is where employers retain some mix of remote and in-person work. The hybrid model can offer some great benefits to both employees and employers if it’s carefully considered and executed however at the employee level. But, leaders are still creating confusion with the lack of purpose behind the model they are leading and embedding.
If you plan to make changes to where, when, and how people work, here are some key considerations that will help you remove these blinkers:
WTP: What's the Purpose?
Just because something is trending, doesn't mean it’s right for you. Employees expect you to come up with a story that makes sense. Telling employees they have to do a minimum of 4 days in the office by talking about buzz words such as “maintaining in-person connection” or “adapting to changes in the market” isn't going to cut it.
Here’s what they want to know:
- What data, context and insights informed your decision? Will people have a say via employee surveys, focus groups etc? Did you map the key work styles and assess where work is best produced? Did you use customer insights?
- How does this help us achieve our business strategy and goals? Will this produce a reduction in management expenses? Will this allow us to be more flexible with work schedules as we expand into new geographies (and time zones)?
- How does this help me achieve my goals (as an individual and as a team)? Does this help me be more productive? Will I be able to be more creative and collaborative? Will I get to connect with people in meaningful ways?
- What does success look like for the company and how will you measure success when it comes to engagement and productivity of staff? Will you be measuring how employees experience this new way of working? When will you know it's operating successfully?
- How will this affect me personally? Will I need to change gyms or childcare facilities? Will I have to stick to fixed office days or will I be provided a choice based on my deliverables and personal commitments?
Are you striving for equality or equity?
If you are having a binary approach of 3 days in the office, you might think you are treating everyone the same however it might serve you better to consider being equitable rather than operating from a position of sameness.
- Equity means working towards fair outcomes for people or groups by treating them in ways that address their unique advantages or barriers.
- Equality means treating everyone the same way, often while assuming that everyone also starts out on equal footing or with the same opportunities.
What about part-timers? What about our non-office staff? People with disabilities? Transgender employees? A report by TotalJobs which surveyed over 400 transgender workers revealed that more than 31% of trans workers said they feel more confident doing their job from home. However, this improvement poses serious questions about the return to the workplace, and how it will affect the safety and mental health of trans people, especially as only 8% of trans workers believe their colleagues have been supportive during the pandemic.
If you haven't planned the impact this might have on your ability to attract and retain diverse talent, don't be surprised when you're left with a workforce of sameness.
From WTP to EVP (Employee Value Proposition)
If employers aren't able to explain the purpose and drivers behind their new workforce models, employees will move from wondering “What’s the purpose?” to “What’s the point?” and your attrition will become an issue. The talent market is not “soft” or “slow” it's mixed—check out research from Seek and other experts to inform your view. Don't fall into the trap of short-term thinking. Make sustainable, informed decisions that withstand movement in the talent market.
“Employers that can explain how their flexibility and ways of working models are based on trust and equity by design will stand out from the crowd.”
Best-fit flexible ways of working can be the jewel in the crown of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) for those willing to spend time on “best-fit” over “back to normal” strategies.
Workplace Edit supports organisations in redesigning workplace experiences so they can genuinely work for more people. We work with bold leaders to find best-fit flexibility and ways of working models, shape Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) strategies and craft employee value propositions that deliver differentiated and equitable experiences.
About the author
Gemma Saunders (she/her) is the Founder of Workplace Edit and has a list of experience and accolades including leading Medibank to become the first national employer to remove primary and secondary carer labels from their parental leave policy, being a finalist at the LGBTI Awards and being on the board of Wear It Purple and Minus18 — charities that do pivotal work in diverse gender and sexuality inclusion. Gemma has led Workplace Edit since 2019 and worked with approximately 30 iconic brands through a range of consulting gigs and collaborations including Afterpay, Linktree, Global Fashion Group, Arnott’s, Sportsbet, and Circle In. Gemma is proudly queer, a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been listed in HRD's hotlist. By embodying core values of courage, impact and curiosity, Gemma has led game-changing parental leave policy reform, overhauled flexible working models, and transformed employee experience strategies resulting in sustainable change and multiple awards.
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