How the future workplace can be a more inclusive one

The past few years have forced everyone to rethink the physical workplace and what it means to "work best." Even four years after COVID-19 shutdowns began in the U.S., the federal government and other companies are still playing a tug-of-war game of luring employees back to the office. But for the most part, companies have settled into some hybrid between work-from-anywhere and work-from-office. 

At the same time, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiatives have been a topic of discussion across virtually every industry — first for their sharp rise, and more recently for companies that have already begun to roll them back. 

In short, every HR department's questions are: How do we make our workplaces more inclusive? And how do we make them functional for our employees?

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We can answer these two questions together. The circumstances that COVID-19 forced upon us also serves as an opportunity to redesign the workplace from the ground up to be more inclusive and equitable. Employee benefit advisers must help keep DEIB at the forefront of conversations around where, when and how people work. Doing so will benefit every employee.

With recent advancements in technology such as virtual and augmented reality, companies can minimize the barriers that some employees face in being fully present in the workplace. For instance, people with disabilities and working parents may have more difficulty with a full-time in-person schedule, while some highly-qualified candidates may be perfect for a job but have transportation barriers that technology can help them overcome. 

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Remote work already has laid the groundwork for greater flexibility, but these new technologies allow for more immersive engagement and collaboration in meetings and working life. Studies show that people with disabilities in their prime working years, age 25 to 54, were 3.5% more likely to be employed after the pandemic spurred the onset of the remote and hybrid workplace than they were before 2020. When guiding businesses and HR teams on how to foster an inclusive workplace, advisers should emphasize that better recruitment and retention strategies necessitate considering, and making reasonable accommodations for, individual circumstances. 

Moreover, a tech-forward, flexible and accommodating office doesn't just ease the burden for some employees — it benefits everyone. In a 2023 Gallup poll, 44% percent of employees say they are stressed, maintaining a record high set in 2021. However, the study found that engaged employees are less likely to report stress, and providing technology that helps boost connection and inclusion regardless of location can strengthen employee engagement. In addition, according to Aquent's Talent Insights Report, high-performing teams were more likely to incorporate diverse opinions, which ultimately has a positive impact on business outcomes.

HR and benefit advisers also should help organizations recognize how class backgrounds, cultural contexts and geographies affect how employees approach situations and collaborate. Another mission is to help them harness and encourage this diversity of perspective. 

In 2021, the Harvard Business Review reported that interdependent teamwork, focusing on leveraging the group's collective expertise and skills, enables Americans from lower social-class backgrounds to perform up to their full potential. In some cases, it allows them to even outperform their typically more advantaged counterparts from higher social-class backgrounds. This includes the demographics that are geographically outside of the major cities. Similar results have been found in studies as recently as this year that focus on academic performance among first-generation and students who are minorities.

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Designing a workplace that encourages this difference in perspective supports DEIB initiatives and helps ensure sure employees are given the opportunity to work within their skill sets. Especially as remote jobs increasingly pop up outside of the major hubs such as New York City, Silicon Valley and San Francisco, HR and benefit professionals need to consider what it means to work asynchronously across time zones, geographies and even cultural experiences.

Even as remote jobs remain significantly more commonplace than before the pandemic, remote workers risk being overlooked. Over the past year, remote workers were promoted 31% less frequently than people who worked in an office, either full-time or on a hybrid basis. Redesigning an office that truly prioritizes DEIB must mean that remote and hybrid employees are afforded the same opportunities as those who prefer to be in the office daily.

Moreover, remote work biases may reinforce disparities in the office, disproportionately affecting working and single parents, individuals with disabilities and others who may not be able to commute to the office regularly. For instance, women are more likely to prefer working from home, which could work against them and undermine efforts to close the persistent salary gap between men and women. 

The traditional office setting was not initially built with DEIB in mind. Women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and other marginalized communities have had to fight for decades for equal representation — and there is still a long way to go. Today, as we rethink the what, when and where of offices, HR and benefit advisers have an opportunity — and responsibility — to factor diversity, equity inclusion and belonging into its very foundation. Together, we can build a new workplace that is truly designed for everyone.

Building the office environment we once knew took decades, so it only makes sense that it is taking years to dial into our new working world. Luckily, this forced transition allows us to help organizations reconsider how people work best and redesign the workplace to fit individual needs.