The Hybrid Workplace
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept & celebrate those differences.”
- Audre Lorde
Return to office. Return to work. Return to screens.
Here in Michigan, fall has arrived, and with it a return to school, to work, and to routines we may have let languish in the summer - for good reason!
As many of us return to work, we are still trying to navigate changing return to office mandates, trying to manage teams with people we may never have met in-person, trying to build a community in-person and online, and trying to figure out how we can continue to thrive while succeeding at work.
I don't know what the rest of this year will hold for us, but I do know that we can't forget the lessons of hybrid workplace inclusion that we've worked so hard on for the last three and a half years.
So now, my three practical tips for fostering hybrid inclusion:
1. Ensure everyone has equal opportunities to participate and contribute. Make sure that you as an individual are taking steps to ensure that remote workers are not left out of important meetings or decisions and that they have access to the same resources and opportunities as in-office workers.
2. Promote effective communication and collaboration. Offer virtual training and development opportunities, and crucially, make sure remote employees have access to the same networking and mentorship opportunities as office-based employees.
3. Be transparent about return-to-work policies and the reasons behind it. Constantly changing what you may have promised your employees three months ago, or six months ago, or three years ago, reduces trust across the workplace. Lack of trust = lack of inclusion.
By prioritizing inclusion and taking concrete steps to support inclusion, you can create a work environment that is both flexible and inclusive, where all employees feel valued and supported, regardless of where they work.
Do the work
This week, I commit to practice self-care in my hybrid workplace. I will stay connected, seek support, set boundaries, be mindful, and take breaks as needed.
Spread the word
If you want to keep going
R.E.C.O.N.N.E.C.T.: How to Create
an Inclusive Hyrid Workplace
We would never have imagined we would be here: caught between in-person and remote in a world permanently changed by COVID-19. The pandemic gave us new realities of how we work and advance our inclusive workplace culture. What lessons can we learn from the past few years and how can we adjust if the world shifts again? In this keynote, I will share how we can RECONNECT in a new hybrid workplace with our multi-generational, dispersed teams. With stories, data, and practical tools to put in place, we will talk through the difficult questions about inclusion, well-being and building real change that lasts.
