A More Inclusive Workplace?

The changes that we are seeing in the physical office, and the way that we work due to COVID-19, may have a positive impact on equality in the workplace. Our newly flexible work-from-home arrangements and the change in the allocation of space within the office may result in unexpected desirable changes for a range of different people, including women, older workers, and people with disabilities.

Non-assigned desking, sometimes known in popular culture as 'hot desking', has previously been challenged as disadvantaging certain groups of people, namely people who come into the office later than others. And often these people have been women, due to morning child care responsibilities. Often times, women have had less choice about their home base for the day, compared to the early birds who get their pick from the most desirable positions, or at a minimum avoid the second rate ones, e.g. positions that are closer to the noisy coffee machine, near a Wi-Fi dead spot, or where there is harsh afternoon glare on the computer screen.

With changes in the physical planning and management of the workplace, combined with the universal uptake of working from home, there is speculation that the playing field has the potential to be somewhat levelled and more inclusive, particularly for women:

• If so-called second rate positions are identified and included in the group of workpoints designated out of action in order to meet social distancing requirements, everyone will be able to be allocated to an appropriate position regardless of what time they start working. With occupancy levels reaching less than half of what they were pre COVID-19, there is no need for anyone to be assigned a less than optimal workpoint.

• Company mandated staggered start times will remove any stigma about coming in 'late' and leaving 'early' (due to childcare responsibilities), as these traditional notions of a standard working day are no longer valid.

• Flexible working arrangements being provided by employers means more women could be able to work, who would otherwise have been cut off due to child care responsibilities. The idea that you have to be physically in the office to be truly working is hopefully a concept that we can finally leave behind.

• The breaking down of barriers between home and work life could mean a more equitable distribution of the domestic responsibilities. With people spending unprecedented time at home, childcare and household labour becomes harder to ignore. Whether this awareness leads to more equity in the division of labour at home is yet to be seen. From the organisations perspective, it is impossible to pretend staff don't have family responsibilities when little faces or voices interrupt a video call. Recognising and accommodating people's responsibilities outside of work will be a requirement for good management.

It is not just women who may benefit from these new arrangements:

• When we consider our ageing workforce, their ability to work part-time as a transitioning stage before retiring fully may become an increasingly workable scenario. If all staff are being equiped with the technology, tools and the education they need to be able to work from home successfully, retirement-age staff with deep knowledge can continue to mentor and provide value to the organisation for longer, while working from home.

• People with a disability may also find the playing field levelled. Instead of dealing with a challenging commute to work and a workplace that is potentially difficult to navigate, they could be increasingly productive working from home.

In these unusual times when our home life is on show to our colleagues as never before, people's non-work live can no longer be hidden or ignored. There is likely to be an expectation that management will address the requirement of the 'whole' person, not just their work persona, during these unprecedented time. Whether the changes to our workplaces and the blending of our work and home life will cause long-term structural changes is untested. Watch this (work) space.

Julia Simmons has over 20 years of experience helping organisations develop their workplace strategies. She is well placed to help your organisation address the new requirements of the COVID-19 workplace.

To get in touch please email julia.simmons@spacematters.com.au