Hybrid Working Could Boost Career Progression For Working Mothers.

Before Covid-19, those who had flexible work schedules — often for family care purposes — were subjected to the “flexibility stigma.” This is the idea that flexible and/or remote employees contribute less and are less committed to the workforce. Additionally, there is a harmful perception that these employees create more work for others. WeWork’s CEO, Sandeep Mathrani, caused a backlash recently when he proclaimed that those who are most comfortable working from home are also the most unengaged employees.

Companies that share Mathrani’s opinion are in danger of alienating top talent. A recent survey from Harvard Business School reported that 81% either don’t want to go back to the office or prefer a hybrid working schedule. The same survey reports married people and those with children are more likely to want to go back to the office than single people.

With an increasing number of companies allowing more flexible schedules around hours and the number of days in the office, will we see flexibility stigma come back and create a divide between office-based and remote-based employees? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, this could be a great leveler for those who need to work flexible schedules now that we know remote-working works.

Pre-pandemic perceptions of flexible working hurt women

A 2018 study made the argument that the flexibility stigma was experienced more often by women. Part of this is because they are more likely to be in caregiving roles that require flexibility, but another suggestion is that these family-friendly arrangements are more associated with caring rather than providing — and providing is a masculine trait that is rewarded in the workplace. Furthermore, when men become fathers, many studies have found that they are rewarded with pay bonuses, and one reason for this is because of the perception of being the family breadwinner.

How can companies measure commitment and output for hybrid workers?

To start breaking the flexibility stigma, companies must look at measures of engagement beyond who is in the office. Engagement cannot be measured or evaluated on opinion alone. Engagement is the amount of motivation we have to work toward the goals of the company. We all have different motivations — for some, face time with colleagues is simply not it. Therefore, that shouldn’t be used as a leading measure of engagement.

Instead, take a tip from cultural anthropology and look at employee behaviors as a measure of engagement. For example, is someone’s response time slower than usual? Are there new patterns in taking time off? Perhaps someone is less collaborative or raises their hand less frequently to take on assignments. Ultimately, engagement is about output, value, and commitment — not days in the office or time spent in front of the computer.

Breaking the flexibility stigma

The last 15 months have shown that remote working works. However, if a flexibility stigma starts to pervade an organization, employees may be less likely to embrace hybrid working for fear of being labeled as unproductive or uncommitted. A critical mass of employees of both genders needs to use hybrid working for the flexibility stigma to wield less power and help level the playing field between men and women at work. Leaders can pave the path to breaking the stigma by taking advantage of hybrid working themselves and changing performance measures to focus on output and results — not physical time in the office.