Five ways to ensure the remote-working-revolution is inclusive.

You might have noticed that the working world has developed a major crush on remote working.

Organisations are swooning over the promised increased productivity of staff. Businesses are giddy when thinking about the potential office overheads that will be saved.

Needing a reminder? FlexWorks has given 10 benefits to remote working beyond the pandemic, Forbes was publishing pro-remote articles pre-lockdown, and The Muse (one of my favourite career websites) adds ten reasons why remote is even better than we thought.

You may be sensing a ‘but’ coming. You would be correct.

Which is weird. I’m Ms Accessibility, right? Remote and flexible working benefits various groups with needs, such as carers, those with extra appointments to attend, and those with religious commitments.

However, house arrest is not flexible. Solitary confinement is not essential to remote working.  

In March 2020, we rushed away from city-centres, laptops under arms, and quickly dashed through risk assessments.

But now I want you to have a real considered review of your remote practices, especially if you are thinking about making aspects permanent.

There are lots of audiences who find the current set-up far from ideal. This can be due to several reasons, including - difficult family situations, a lack of space, minimal human interactions, or unsuitable long-term equipment.

Flexible and remote working is fundamentally about choice. It centres on improving life/work balance which may be impossible in the current ever-changing and limited society.

We need to ensure that our remote working practices, now and in future, are inclusive for all staff.

Caption: Image of woman with laptop and text saying, ‘Recognise that the current situation is not normal’.

Here are some considerations to get you started:

1)    Recognise, especially from leaders, that the current situation is not ‘normal’. As time goes on and remote-patterns feel more enduring, it is helpful to share reminders that the current situation can still be very challenging for people. And that’s okay.

2)    Stay sensitive to everyone’s unique circumstances. Everyone is certainly in a different boat, which comes with individual challenges and privileges. The collapsing of life/work has some welcome ‘humanising’ benefits, and, with it, we need to continue to be open-minded to others’ experiences. This is particularly true during the current challenging times which can take an emotional toll.

3)    Explore options with staff to suit their needs. This could mean (within government guidance) office space, blended patterns or working entirely remote. Remember that the current situation may not be reflective of ‘normal’ life; people might want to consider remote working when their supports – childcare, hobbies, networks - are in place.

4)    Communicate frequently and adapt quickly. Obvious? Yes. Still important? Double yes! Sharing updates about workplace changes and patterns is crucial, even if the update is that, ‘there is no update’. Remote practices definitely mean a rethink of how/when/why we communicate with colleagues. Try to embrace these changes to test out sending clear messages to employees to manage expectations.

5)    Support line managers. I cannot repeat this enough. Effective and well-equipped management is crucial to remote working across organisations. Be super cautious with automatic guidance, ‘speak to your line manager’, without training and regular advice to support this.

We are never returning to the working world that we left in March 2020. The future looks blended, messy and still unsettled.

Let’s make sure that we build working environments that work for us all.