Research

Inclusive Hybrid Workplaces: Ask Catalyst Express

May 26, 2021

People in an office watching a woman give a presentation on a computer screen

Many organizations have seen the benefits—for their business outcomes and in support of their employees—of creating more flexible and remote workplaces. Catalyst research finds that workers with access to remote work report increased innovation, engagement, and commitment to their organizations and decreased levels of burnout and intent to leave their jobs. In fact, many workers who have had access to flexible and remote work during Covid-19 report that they would like to continue working in similar ways. Access to flexible and remote work is especially important for working parents affected by school and childcare closures.

What are the next steps—how can an organization make the goal of an inclusive flexible and remote work culture come alive?

Become fully flexible.
“Fully flexible” means redesigning the workplace and workday for broad flexibility around when, where, and how work gets done.

Build a remote-first culture.
“Remote first” means that even if people are required or choose to be onsite, the default is remote work, such that policies and practices reflect this expectation, and everyone behaves as if they were working remotely to include their colleagues working from different locations or schedules.

Be open to hybrid work—a flexible combination of remote and onsite work.
However, organizations must be careful not to create two tiers of workers, giving career advantages to those team members who want or need to be onsite more frequently. The environment must be inclusive to ensure that women, particularly women of color, are not left behind. Combining the hybrid and remote-first approaches ensures that hybrid working doesn’t become the worst of both worlds, with unequal access to opportunities, creating disparate employee experiences and fatigue from “always on” synchronous communication.

There is no one-size-fits-all path forward. Some organizations will move closer to an all-remote model, with full work-from-anywhere geographic and schedule flexibility, while others will favor a more hybrid approach. Regardless of what model organizations implement, inclusive hybrid workplaces must be built purposefully to ensure equal access to opportunity, the benefits of flex and remote working, and addressing life/work needs.

These Catalyst resources may help guide you on your journey.

CATALYST RESOURCES ON INCLUSIVE HYBRID WORK

Practices

Organizations with essential or frontline workers often struggle to bring more flexibility to their onsite workers. Barilla’s 2021 Catalyst Award-Winning Initiative discusses one of their programs to make flexible work available to all employees and addresses inclusive hybrid flexible work now and into the future: Smartworking.

For many organizations, working flexibly is no longer a bonus—it’s a business imperative. During the coronavirus pandemic, many managers and employees faced personal challenges even while they found themselves working from home for the first time. At Catalyst, we know from research and experience that flexibility with when, where, and how work gets done is integral to inclusive leadership and work cultures. We’ve developed Practices for Supporters to enable them to implement leading practices for flex work.

Catalyst Supporters shared their stories of how they have reimagined the future of work, leading with inclusion through crisis, tackling inequities, connecting with empathy, developing trust on teams, and working remotely and flexibly to successfully navigate these unprecedented times.

Research Reports

Tools

This product is designed to help organizations focus on the systems and actions they need to implement now so they can come back as stronger and more equitable and put themselves in the best position to keep equity during the next crisis, which is certain to come. Highlights include information on programs that build and keep connections, being agile and best support your team, using metrics to accelerate equity, and strengthening your culture and teams.

In a post-pandemic economy, the employee experience is more important than ever before for organizational success. This experience must be rooted in empathy and inclusion to attract and retain women across multiple intersecting identities and experiences. Catalyst analyzed four different scenarios of the future of work to better understand shifts related to Covid-19 and illustrate examples of policies and practices to move your organization toward a more inclusive and equitable post-pandemic workplace.

Knowledge Bursts

Ask Catalyst Express and Quick Takes

Blog Posts

 

OTHER RESOURCES ON INCLUSIVE HYBRID WORK

 

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