This article is written by Sharon Kashani, policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Finance

On the surface, teleworking appears to have great potential to erase barriers to public servants’ working lives and career goals.

Long commutes are becoming rarer as non-essential workforces settle into a majority-distributed model of coordination. According to a survey put forwards from MIT, nearly half of respondents are now teleworking instead of going into an office.

It’s tempting to think that the work-from-home model will be a great equaliser in the workforce. Studies have found that flexible working hours and telecommuting allow women more opportunities to have challenging careers while also juggling high-demand moments in their family lives.

Yet, there are barriers that don’t seem to have disappeared, and which may only have been reinforced over the last 12 months. One Yale-led study suggests that women who work from home end up doing more housework and childcare than men. The same study found that remote-working mums were also more likely to “spend more time doing their jobs with children present than telecommuting dads”. Even with both parents at home seven days a week then, the evidence would suggest women still default to the role of caregivers.

The work-from-home model may also erect barriers to informal networks at work.

Informal networks are key for the career development of men and women alike. They introduce employees to new teams, allow new hires to receive mentorship from senior colleagues, and provide opportunities for joining interesting projects.

But reports reveal that employees of colour entering a remote workforce are more likely to feel inhibited about asking established colleagues to put aside time for these networking purposes.

If employers in the public service recognise the risks associated with the work-from-home model, they can begin to mitigate them.

These same employees based in a remote location are also more likely to have to switch between linguistic norms (known as ‘code-switching’), while absorbing a new corporate culture. With an informal network, these challenges are surmountable, but without them, they become a barrier to career progress.

The question this raises is: 'What can workplaces do, post-pandemic, to take advantage of the best of what the work-from-home model has to offer, while reducing its negative effects on diverse groups of people?'

The philosopher Martha Nussbaum notes in her work that: “Knowledge is no guarantee of good behaviour, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behaviour.”

If employers in the public service recognise the risks associated with the work-from-home model, they can begin to mitigate them. The goal of the public service should be to close what we might call a new ‘digital divide’ between staff, and to encourage all employees to achieve success in their careers. Here are my suggestions for building an inclusive workplace that incorporates teleworking:

Consider a hybrid model

Working from home has clear benefits for employees. It lessens commute times and facilitates face-time around family, including children’s activities such as sporting events, arts performances and so on. Allowing employees the flexibility to work-from-home a few days a week is a good opportunity for societies that struggle to balance work and life. By pairing the work-from-home model with an office space, and by incorporating select office days, employers can also facilitate networking for under-represented employees, as well as spaces for caregivers to focus on work outside of their home environments. In addition to the balance teleworking brings, a hybrid strikes a further balance between the two working models. This is key for the career growth of all employees.

Welcome boundaries when videoconferencing

Professor at the University of Virginia, Lauren Morgan Roberts, and Courtney L. McCluney, assistant professor at Cornell University, note in the Harvard Business Review that presenting a ‘digital self’ can be a point of stress for people of colour. As they explain: “Videoconferencing has transformed formerly safe, private spaces for authentic cultural expression into focal points of the public gaze.”

Working from home is still in its infancy, and it is vital that a culture of flexibility, understanding, and acceptance grows alongside it

Work meetings and socials increasingly invite colleagues into one another’s home spaces. The result is that some colleagues are left more exposed to cultural and class judgement.

The authors’ suggestion? Workplaces should “welcome and respect boundaries” of employees during video conferences. A simple solution is to have managers “schedule meetings in advance to allow people to prepare for their work encounters”. Other solutions include allowing employees to turn cameras off during video conferences, or simply use “virtual backgrounds customised to the organisation or team that everyone uses”.

Collect and analyse data to measure output

A hybrid of work-from-home and in-office models comes with its own risks. Chief among these is presenteeism, where those who are seen to be in a physical office are therefore perceived to be more productive than those who work-from-home. Employers should embrace looking at the facts about an employee's output as a true indicator of their productivity. One way to do this is for organisations to upgrade performance evaluations and metrics so as to prioritise results over face-value evidence of work.

Allow for remote-participation in extracurricular and volunteer events

In my own workplace, I recently served as a Ministry of Finance coordinator for the Ontario Public Service's United Way Campaign. The entire fundraising event took place virtually. Games and challenges were sent by email, which employees had the option of completing. Meanwhile, donations could be accepted through Ontario’s online database. Funds were successfully raised for the United Way, employees were kept engaged, and as a result, our organisation now has a model for remote collaboration between volunteers and leaders for these events. By allowing remote-based employees to act as committee members, everyone now has the opportunity to offer the full spectrum of their talents and dedication to their organisation.

It is crucial for employers to create a culture of acceptance within their organisations as teleworking becomes more common. Some people may choose to work from home two days a week, others three. Pets and family members may make their way into moments typically only associated with work. Some employees may prefer to have their camera off during video calls. Others may ask to participate as social committee members through virtual spaces.

Working from home is still in its infancy, and it is vital that a culture of flexibility, understanding, and acceptance grows alongside it.

Organisations need to find a middle ground between expecting utopia from digital technologies, and holding on to outdated work processes. If they can deliver this, people’s needs can be placed front and centre in the workplace, and the tools we use in the digital age as public servants can foster a user-centred and inclusive future. – Sharon Kashani

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