TechRepublic’s Karen Roby spoke with Leslie Tarnacki, Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources at WorkForce Software, about workplace equity with hybrid work schedules.
As hybrid work schedules become common at organizations, it’s important for leadership to ensure employees are being treated fairly. Staff who continue to work from home should be treated with the same respect and have the same opportunities and tools as those who are physically in the office.
“For employees, it’s a concern because you want to make sure that you’re treated equitably, and you want to make sure that if you’re an employee that chooses to work remotely more often than reporting to the office, that you still have the same opportunities,” Tarnacki says.
However, it’s not just employees that have concerns with equity in the workplace. Company leaders have a stake in making sure their organization is equitable because it can make it easier to retain talent.
“Leadership in the company needs to make sure that they are reinforcing this inclusive environment,” Tarnacki says. “How do you make sure that you’re balancing team meetings and everything that’s happening on a daily basis so that everyone is treated the same way?”
Tarnacki foresees lasting impacts from the pandemic on human resources processes and workplaces in general. She anticipates the hybrid work trend will continue and it will shape employer expectations of their workers.
“It’s about flexibility. It’s about work-life balance, which is so critical to everyone these days,” Tarnacki says. “Two years down the road, we’re going to see this trend continuing. I wouldn’t even call it a trend at this point. I would call it a necessity because for any business… to be successful, they need to have this set up or they won’t be able to attract the talent or keep the talent that they have.”