WLP298 Towards Equality in Your Hybrid Team

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We welcome Laurel Farrer to the podcast, to talk about how to lay down the foundations to provide an equitable experience for our employees, in a hybrid setup. The conversation was inspired by Laurel’s article</span> <a href= "https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelfarrer/2022/01/20/10-habits-to-ensure-equality-in-your-hybrid-team/?sh=41ebd14e1d96"> <span style="font-weight: 400;">10 Habits to Ensure Equality in Your Hybrid Team.</span><span style= "font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style= "font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But before we get into the content of the article, we hear from Laurel about her aspirations for the adoption of remote work. In her LinkedIn profile, she says that she “leverages the power of workplace flexibility to impact business operations and socioeconomics.” She named her company “Distribute Consultancy” – they’re not just talking about working with people who are physically distributed, but they also champion the opportunity to distribute wealth and opportunity. Enabling remote work is about changing the way we work, and changing the world at an economic level.</span> <span style= "font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style= "font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Laurel reminds us that the kind of work that happened during the pandemic, was not “remote work”, it was a contingency plan. This has led to controversy about whether this has helped or hindered socioeconomics. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How does “hybrid” fit into this? Laurel’s research shows that the number of workforce requests from those who want to work remotely and want workplace flexibility has not increased since before the pandemic. What has changed is their negotiation power, having shown that it’s possible to work productively even when you’re away from the office. </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This can lead employers to feel pressured into offering flexible