An article by the Harvard Business Review details how working in a hybrid environment should not set back your DEI efforts.

 

The past year and a half of remote work have yielded mixed results for organizations trying to improve their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Remote work exacerbated many existing inequities; for example, one reason that Covid disproportionately affected communities of color is because people of color are less likely to be in remote-friendly jobs. But some traditionally marginalized employees felt that conditions improved, such as some parents who were able to spend more time with their children and some people with disabilities or chronic health issues who no longer had to navigate workplace accommodations.

As we shift toward a hybrid workplace, both the equity-enhancing and equity-reducing aspects of remote work are likely to be complicated and intensified. On one hand, it’s easy to imagine a two-track situation in which some people put in more face-time at the office, thereby garnering advancement opportunities and promotions, while others fall behind. It’s also easy to imagine a world in which the benefits of working remotely all or most of the time are a privilege given to some demographics more than others.

Read the entire Harvard Business Review article here.