It's been really refreshing to hear and read of the flexible first return to work policies that have come out in the press and been a core topic at the recent RENEW festival. Businesses that are actively listening to employees’ wants and needs, focusing on talent retention and creating a culture which is inclusive and has a sense of belonging is empowering and encouraging. This is the future of what work should look like.

Yet perhaps it’s the sector within which I work, but the pressure to return to the office from ‘senior white men’ is huge. Every meeting, every conversation, and every opportunity the topic of being back in the office, creating a new workplace culture is dropped in. And it is dropped in forcefully.

It’s not just within my company, but with every business we work with. The common theme of being back and being seen, a sense of presentism, is coming from the top. The top being made up of white middle-class men, who seem to believe that culture only comes from a physical office space.

The last two years of talking about flexible working seems to be a distant dream. Now it’s flexible working with a load of rules applied and an agreement that hybrid working doesn’t really work anyway.

So if you are reading this, are perhaps guilty of this obsession with office-presence over outputs, here are my top tips to create an inclusive workplace culture that suits everyone:

1.     Listen, Trust and be Open

Listen to what your employees want. And I mean really listen. Create an environment that is psychologically safe and enables people to have their voices heard. Trust that people can decide what works for them. Trust means empowerment which means productivity. This can be in the office 5 days a week or just once a week. And be open to trying what your employee’s want rather than rushing to impose universal rules.

2.     Ask yourself - Is our return-to-work policy fully inclusive?

According to the IPA All In Census we know that Women were hit the hardest during the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of men employed in member agencies fell by 8.1% year-on–year while the number of women employed fell by 12.8% The overall number of individuals working in their agencies in a part-time role fell by 23.2% The number of females in a part-time role fell by 24.5% while the number of males in a part-time role fell by 15.1%

Being flexible means accommodating for everyone. Not rolling out one size fits all policies Those with families, caring duties, those going through fertility struggles or those who have finally reached a sense of belonging following years of suppressing their identity to fit into the traditional ‘white office culture’. 

We’ve seen the mass exodus, the talent crisis and lack of CVs coming through. If you want to retain talent or attract new talent, creating an inclusive workplace is key. Ensuring that work patterns suit the needs of individuals, not just reverting back to the unified approach of ‘what we used to do’ is key. This will ensure we create an environment which is represented for women and those from diverse backgrounds.

3.     Really get to know your people

I have witnessed employee’s flourish in lockdown and struggle in lockdown. Introverts and extroverts work differently. I have seen people promoted, I have seen people breakdown, I have seen people grow in confidence and conviction. That’s because it's important to make time for everyone and listen to everyone.

Understand how people do their best work and accommodate for this. Get to know everyone and spend time with them (in person, video call, voice call). This is the unrecognised, unpaid emotional labour which women take on within the workplace (in fact according to the UN women take on 2.6 times the amount of the unpaid work than men do).

4.     Creating the right work/life balance

This means creating a culture where people are empowered to create a work/life balance that works for them. We know returning to the office is natural and will happen, and for some returning to the office is what they need both mentally and physically. But for others, this means keeping their stress levels down, anxiety levels at bay, spending time with their family,  fitting in their exercise, dog walks or putting the washing on in the middle of the day. For others the clear cut of office work and home is needed. Let individuals make this choice and ask yourself seriously does it matter if they get their work done?

5.     Be clear on what the priority business needs are

It's clear that people learn by osmosis, and this has been a challenge in the pandemic. We know that it's fun to socialise again, be back in the office, brainstorm and learn which can be easier face to face. However, be clear about productivity and the needs for when to be in the office and when working from home is more productive. There is no point being present in the office because you need to fit your weekly quota when you are away from your team on video calls. Work with your team to prioritise and guide on when you need ‘face up’ or ‘face down days’.

Test, learn and adapt whatever you decide, but please listen to your employee’s and stop oppressing the views of others and you might see a change in perspective and an increase in productivity and business growth.

Is this the opinion of all white senior male leaders? Probably not, but it unfortunately seems to be the majority from where I am sitting. Why have I written this anonymously? Because I worry too much about the impact of my opinion and that my opinion has not been listened to over the last few months. I hope this changes and I hope this gives me courage to speak up.