Gender bias is highly prevalent in the workplace. That is not news to any of us. From discussion of the ‘glass ceiling’ to the gender pay gap, the conversation surrounding gender inequality in the workforce is not new. But, as we look toward the future of work, new trends, like hybrid work, are emerging and presenting new opportunities and challenges.
The workplace presents many challenges for women, from deeply ingrained biases to structural obstacles.
McKinsey’s ‘Women in the Workplace, 2022‘ study states that the ‘broken rung’ is holding women back from leadership positions. This essentially means that women are struggling to advance from entry-level to management positions, leaving fewer women to be promoted to senior leadership.
The study also revealed that most women want flexible work opportunities, with 49% of women leaders ranking it in the top 3 priorities when deciding to stay at their company. But why does this matter?
Because retaining female leaders is a challenge for many companies. Research shows that women leave their jobs at higher numbers than ever, meaning retention should be of utmost priority for employers.
If we want to solve the lack of female representation, especially regarding women of color, in leadership, we need to begin at the beginning.
The Benefits of Hybrid Work for Women
Hybrid work presents many benefits for women in the workplace, allowing them to have opportunities they otherwise would not have had and to have a work-life balance when juggling both professional and personal responsibilities.
Hybrid work has helped women deal with bias.
This point is a double-edged sword because while hybrid work has helped women deal with bias by removing them from the line of fire (aka the in-person workforce), it does not mean that bias has disappeared. In contrast, it has revealed a deeper issue in the way workplaces are structured and the prejudice within them.
However, the fact that many women want to work from home because it helps them escape from microaggressions due to their gender remains true. While we acknowledge this is a deeper systemic issue, let’s first explain why this benefits many women in the workplace. Fewer microaggressions mean greater psychological safety, leading to higher levels of happiness and well-being. This trend is amplified for those who fall under intersectional categories such as being a woman of color, LGBTQ+, or having a disability.
To clarify, we define ‘intersectional’ as different types of discrimination (ex: race, sex, etc.) affecting each other.
It goes without saying that remote work is not and should not be the solution to quelling bias in the workplace.
Hybrid work helps to retain the female workforce.
As the data shows, women are more willing than ever to leave their position if they do not feel there are opportunities for advancement or think they are being undermined due to their gender. McKinsey’s study reveals that ‘many women point to remote and hybrid work options as one of their top reasons for joining or staying with an organization.’
There are already retention issues for women, especially female leaders. Since hybrid work has proven to improve retention, it is a good strategy to keep talented women in your organization and maintain gender diversity.
Hybrid work provides greater opportunities for women with disabilities
When discussing improving diversity in the workplace, it is crucial to acknowledge the intersectionality of privilege. Women already face bias, but this is compounded if they are part of other groups that have faced discrimination, such as the disabled. Hybrid work gives women with disabilities opportunities they would have otherwise not had in a world where commuting to the office daily was required. Hybrid and remote work help navigate mobility issues by allowing disabled individuals to collaborate without having to be psychically present.
It is also important to note that not all disabilities are visible, and hybrid work may significantly improve work life for women with ‘invisible disabilities,’ such as chronic pain or mental health struggles.
The McKinsey study reports that disabled hybrid workers feel that they are trusted to get their work done from home without micromanagement. This is why the right type of hybrid manager is essential to navigating diverse teams, including those who cannot come into the office.
The Challenges of Hybrid Work for Women
Missed In-Person Networking Opportunities
One of the main challenges women face in hybrid roles is missed opportunities due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. This can include career advancement or simply networking to connect with others. While hybrid provides both in-person and virtual work, those who spend more time at home miss casual in-person interactions, such as a coffee chat in the hallway or a quick catch-up after work. This type of networking often helps build rapport that leads to career advancement. Cialdini’s principle of liking states that we tend to favor the things that are familiar to us. So, when a new promotion opportunity arises, or a big project is looking for a new lead, those in the office are more likely to get the role. Additionally, the disconnection that happens when someone works from home can lead to poor communication with managers. Women have reported feeling they are not supported by their manager when working remotely.
Risk of Being Overworked
Women are at greater risk than men of being overburdened when working from home. Archaic societal standards have placed additional responsibilities on women, like childcare and familial tasks. In many households, the woman is the one who cooks, cleans, takes care of the children, and sometimes works while doing so. And, as the woman’s professional responsibilities increase, so do her chances of being overworked. McKinsey reports, ‘Among entry-level employees, women are about twice as likely as men to be doing all of this work; among employees in leadership, the gap nearly doubles.’
How To Overcome the Challenges of Hybrid Work for Women
Be people-centric
Studies have identified mental health as an issue for women in the workplace, especially in hybrid and remote environments. Companies should adopt a people-centric approach to help support women with these struggles. This means involving each employee in conversations about company culture and well-being. Women can express their feelings in their work environment and potentially incite positive change.
Improve your hybrid model management
The issues arising are not with the hybrid model itself but with how it has been implemented. Hybrid work does not have to be isolating. It can work with open communication and the right tools to maintain connection and understanding. For example, a desk booking platform like deskbird allows employees to choose where to sit daily and to schedule which days they are coming into the office. This helps maintain open communication and keep track of who works from home most often. This data provides valuable insights for managers and leaders to spend extra time involving those employees in essential discussions and ensure they experience company culture while at home.
Establishing expectations
We know that employers often set expectations for how their employees should behave. But what if employees themselves set expectations for their employers? To create a positive hybrid environment for women, it is important for them to have a voice to express their needs and concerns. Without this conversation, bias and mistreatment may go unnoticed.
Diversity and bias training
The first step to stopping microaggressions is identifying them. Bias is often deeply rooted in culture, meaning it can be so deep that those perpetuating it do not realize they are doing so. Everyone in an organization, especially management and leadership, should be trained to recognize and combat bias on the spot. This is also important since many women struggling in work environments fall into intersectional categories, meaning they face not only gender bias but prejudice based on their race, sexuality, or disability.
Improve Management Practices
Hybrid work and management expert Lynda Gratton suggests educating managers on people skills. Managers should be well versed in successfully and openly managing those who work from home. The McKinsey study also revealed that how much a manager cares about well-being influences whether or not they stay at the organization. So while expert advice and research place the responsibility on managers, they are not being trained to fulfill the needs and expectations of the women on their team.
‘Only about half of women say their manager regularly encourages respectful behavior on their team, and less than half say their manager shows interest in their career and helps them manage their workload.’ (McKinsey, 2022).
Therefore, one of the most crucial steps to making hybrid work for women is providing managers with the proper training.
The hybrid work problem, but rather the struggles women face in the workplace, is a structural societal problem. Instead of abandoning flexibility when women need it most, we need a hybrid model that supports all parties involved. When combatting bias and discrimination issues, the problems must be addressed at their core. They are systemic cultural issues that cannot and will not be changed overnight. But organizational changes can be made to support women, whether providing greater management training or ensuring your hybrid model is more people-centric.
Annabel Benjamin – deskbird
