The pandemic introduced us to several work policies: remote work, hybrid work, and work from anywhere. As many countries lift health restrictions, they’re encouraging workers to return to the office (to avoid management complexity and lift business performance from hybrid work).
Will hybrid or remote work come to an end? Will a new work culture surface? One offering more flexibility beyond hybrid work and lowering employee turnover rate is “inclusive working.”
What is “Inclusive Working”?
Hybrid work, remote work, or work from anywhere only focus on the “where.” Employees are free to choose the place they do the job.
But, inclusive working focuses on the “where”, the “how,” and the “when.”
Employees choose their working hours and the best strategies to manage their tasks. The main keywords for inclusive hybrid working are:
- flexibility
- autonomy
- trust
It’s important to mention inclusive working isn’t the same as “inclusive work culture.” Inclusive working illustrates the way we work, while inclusive work culture deals with diversity and a sense of belonging in a team.
What does “inclusive working” mean for employees?
Inclusive working gives employees the flexibility to work from any location, at any time, and with any method they find best. Several outcomes follow this growing work policy.
To start, employees become the “boss” of their work. They decide their hours and how to do the job. This method demands time, project management, self-discipline, and motivation.
An inclusive working policy comes with benefits, especially for workers who have other responsibilities besides work— for example, single or working parents, caregivers, or students.
For parents, inclusive remote working gives them room to juggle responsibilities between family and career. They can make time to drop off and pick up children from school, take them to after-school activities, and work when they’re asleep.
For caregivers, there’s flexibility from rigid in-office work hours for taking loved ones to therapy or health check-ups.
For employees studying while working, inclusive remote working is one of the best alternatives. During the day, they manage their studies and then build their careers at night — no need to choose one over the other.
What does “inclusive working” mean for employers?
Inclusive working sounds intriguing from the employee side. But what benefits will employers get? And, what changes should be made to create an inclusive working environment?
For companies – unique and attractive perks for recruitment
By giving more flexibility on working hours, you open new opportunities to reach talent outside your ordinary market.
Instead of focusing on candidates who can work the “9 to 5,” you now focus on those who can meet the company’s goals.
Tip: Be sure to mention your inclusive working policy on your company career page AND in your job descriptions. People looking for new jobs, especially if they quit for more flexibility, will find value!
For managers – more trust and regular check-ins
The different working method requires different approaches to manage and measure performance.
Since inclusive working gives employees more “power,” managers need to put more trust in their teams. This means less micromanaging, while still keeping track of progress by scheduling regular check-ins. An auto-scheduler is a perfect aid in this process. Especially for the service-industry.
As a manager, be clear on weekly or monthly targets and employee KPIs. This is essential to ensure your team meets the goals and fosters transparency.
For example, send out 200 promotional emails this week or fix specific bugs in the app by month-end. This way, your team knows exactly what to do. They’ll take care of the how, when, and where.
Why I wrote this?
We’ve evolved from working at the office to remote/hybrid work. And now to a new work trend: inclusive working. Implementing inclusive remote working can boost your employer brand and DEI index in the long run.
Ongig’s mission is to create effective and inclusive job descriptions. This includes writing JDs that share unique benefits to boost your apply rates (like inclusive hiring policies). Please request a demo to learn more.
Shout-Outs:
- 11 Trends that Will Shape Work in 2022 and Beyond (by Brian Kropp and Emily Rose McRae)
- Employer Branding: Strategies, Measurement, and Examples (by Alexander Heinle at Zavvy)
This is a guest post from Raisa Yogiaman.
Raisa is a content marketer at Zavvy — an employee enablement platform that combines employee experience with smart workflow automation. Her passion for HR and marketing can be found on Zavvy.io.
