Fears remote working can be ‘death’ to career progress

It’s no longer a ‘women’s issue’ as men are urged to embrace flexible work after the success of Covid workplace revolution.

Stockland executive Greg Kiddle has “bought” extra holidays to pursue interests such as the keyboard. Picture: Ryan Osland

Flexible work is a double-edged sword for many women who fear that working from home damages their chances of promotions and being taken seriously by their boss, according to a new national report.

The report, by Chief Executive Women and Bain & Company, says Covid-19 has permanently changed the workplace but workers who are out of sight and out of mind risk “death by a thousand cuts”.

“Missing one hallway conversation does not matter, but missing those conversations time and again adds up,” say the report which calls on senior leaders, especially men, to embrace flexible work so that working from home, variable start and finishing times, condensed work weeks and other arrangements are not seen as a “women’s issue”.

The report, Equitable Flexibility: Reshaping our Workforce, is based on a survey of 2000 employees and interviews with employers.

It finds Australia’s top companies are now leveraging the dramatic impact of Covid-19 as a “culture accelerator” to strategically chan­ge the way they deal with staff and run their organisations.

It found more than 90 per cent of managers said they maintained or improved their productivity, engagement and achievement while working from home and 80 per cent of respondents said flexibility was viewed more favourably now than before the pandemic.

Flexibility was a no-brainer, with 95 per cent saying they would take a flex arrangement in the next three years if offered by their company. It has an impact on gender equity but the figures are relatively low, with 43 per cent of women – who report that working from home loads them up with more domestic tasks – saying their workplace has become more equal thanks to remote work.

The report says flexible work is not for everyone: “Remote work may not fulfil the needs of junior staff who value culture, camaraderie and on-the-job learning.”

Law firm Gilbert and Tobin reported that junior people could miss out on on-the-job learning such as getting pulled into last- minute client calls or partner meetings. Mirvac employees reported three key benefits from working in the office rather than at home: social interaction, collaboration to solve complex problems, and learning.

Arguing that this is a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for real workplace change, the report calls for clear standards on issues such as synchronous office hours or days for staff; collection and analysis of data on promotions as well as perceptions; building trust by focusing on outcomes not inputs; and investing in technology to ensure employees can work effectively remotely.

It urges leaders, especially senior men, to actively role-model flexibility. “At Stockland, some managers who worked in the office before Covid are now choosing to work from home so they can have lunch with their families,” the report says.

“Attitude is the final piece of the puzzle,” it says, calling on companies to experiment, accept there will be mistakes and keep innovating to find the most flexible models. It notes that Unilever is trailing a four-day week in New Zealand, with leaders promoting it as “100 per cent pay, 80 per cent hours, 100 per cent productivity”.