Is Remote Work A Diversity And Inclusion Issue?

Lisa Agona is a Member of the Executive Board / Chief Marketing Officer of TeamViewer.

In 2021, there is no denying that diversity in the workplace and in life is an asset. I believe all of us are, to one degree or another, captives of our own experiences — experiences that inform our preferences, our conduct and our decisions. But what if everyone in the organization has had essentially the same life experiences, comes from similar backgrounds and shares the same ethnicity? There’s a good chance they will think alike in some ways — that there will be fewer dissenting opinions and even that they might entertain a narrower range of business options.

Now, think of an organization with a workforce that is diverse and comprised of people with different ideas, different priorities and different tactics that become a part of the company’s internal communications. And in an increasingly global economy that caters to a growing assortment of fragmented market segments, having a wider variety of options to consider could lead to important business advantages.

The shift to remote work itself may have increased productivity for many, but as we try to navigate the future of work, leaders should take notice of the fact that remote work itself could raise diversity and equality issues. Leaders are at a pivotal moment where our choices could either advance or set back equality. There are issues that remote work has managed to alleviate the stress of for some people. For example, women’s ability to advance in their careers may be affected by the lack of and cost of child care options; remote work could help address this issue for some. Additionally, many people can benefit from the lack of commuting costs. The accessibility of remote work may open new avenues of opportunity for those who aren’t able to afford transportation costs or for people with disabilities.

This isn’t to say that all work can be done remotely, but if leaders find that employees’ wellness improves when they’re working remotely, this could positively affect ROI. The best investment is in happy employees, and I believe focusing on equality is the first step toward creating a level playing field — which, in turn, could pay off for everyone involved.

The last two years have also shown me that inclusivity should be a key initiative of all work, but specifically remote work — which offers collaboration tools and online skills training initiatives that can help leaders encourage some of the voices that leaders may not have heard in traditional office settings to contribute their innovations and ideas.

Today, I work for a company that offers remote desktop software, connectivity and engagement solutions. Forty percent of our employees are women, and our employees come from more than 60 different countries. Collaborative technologies have made it much easier for us to secure the services of employees and contractors from all over the world.

As they continue to make post-pandemic workforce decisions, leaders have the opportunity to use a variety of tools and options to promote a healthy and equal workforce. Now that hybrid and remote work are dominating the new normal, it’s important that we not only offer the right collaborative tech tools but also that we use these tools to engage, empower and encourage our employees. We should challenge ourselves to make sure these tools are not only accessible but also that we are using them to promote inclusion, education and a sense of open community that will foster the equality we want to see across our companies.

Everyone’s hybrid and remote work experience is different, which means it is critical for company leaders to communicate effectively with their teams to ensure that they’re meeting everyone’s needs. Have discussions with your employees about their experiences; what works and what doesn’t? When you’re structuring a remote meeting as a leader, remember that collaboration technology should be a tool to ensure that diverse voices are represented and that inclusion should be a key objective of every meeting.

Furthermore, by building a distributed workforce, you can include employees who prefer working from home as a way to improve their work-life balance. Offer flexible work hours and mental health days to help employees balance their family and work responsibilities and avoid the dreaded technology burnout that is all too real for many of us.

Overall, I think it’s fair to say that, while collaborative technology to connect a remote or hybrid workforce has the potential to enable a more inclusive environment, it also poses equality challenges that fall on leaders to address. The pandemic experience has given us proof of the remote work concept’s practical value, but I believe leaders should be focusing on ensuring that employees are treated fairly — and have access to the same tools and benefits across the board. And even post-pandemic, remote and hybrid work are likely to be fixtures in the way we conduct global business. This begs the question: What side of the employee-focused conversation do you prefer to be on right now?

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