A Flexible Workplace Should Flex for All

Ever since the pandemic changed the way we all work, the clash of professional and personal lives had me thinking about what our workplace will look like going forward: How do you evolve policies and re-think workstyles to make it easier for colleagues to balance career and family?

While the answer is not one size fits all and depends on job roles among other considerations, recognizing the importance of flexibility to many workers underscores the need to find sustainable solutions and make it a lasting part of how we work.

Consider that the pandemic work experience has been different for everyone.?For many of our manufacturing and R&D teams, continuing to go into locations presented new safety and logistical challenges. Some office-based colleagues found working remotely improved their work-life balance thanks to no travel and greater control over their calendars. But others found themselves with less control over their schedules, increasing hours at work and more childcare and household duties. A lot depends on your role, the type of work environment and family situation.

We’ve also seen reports that women with young children have borne the brunt of the pandemic.?Fortune cited a study that highlighted when women shouldered 80-100% of the care of young children, one in two voluntarily exited the workforce or reduced their paid working hours. However, for women whose male partners shouldered 40-60% of caregiving, the probability of them leaving the workforce or cutting their hours was 15%.

That signals a need to design the new world of work more intentionally to ensure that a flexible workplace supports the broader needs of colleagues at work and at home – so no matter where they work, people have equal opportunities to connect with their teams and others, and advance their careers.

Three ways companies can evolve to that effect:

1. Empowered Flexibility. ?Creating equal opportunity requires companies to not simply allow colleagues to work from home if their job allows, but to provide more flexibility in when people work too. A lesson learned from working remotely in the pandemic was that productivity increased when colleagues had more freedom to define their schedules and start their day after they got their kids to school or step out for a personal appointment – and they did more than get the job done. As we figure out our own definition of a flexible workplace for different types of jobs, our goal is to protect our colleagues’ ability to choose how they need to be successful at home and at work.?
2. ?Benefits matter. Enabling flexibility also means ensuring that support for child and elder care is equally available and utilized between men and women, with benefit policies that encourage it.?I am proud that Zoetis has policies to support all working parents, including family leave benefits and paid leave that benefits all genders. Whether it’s taking time off to bond with a newborn or newly adopted child or taking a child to a doctor’s appointment or covering childcare pickup, the impact of working dads taking parental leave and leveraging flexibility to be more involved parents cannot be overstated.?Their female colleagues take notice and often feel more confident to do the same -- and importantly, it can reduce the imbalance between men and women’s career trajectories.
3. Balancing in-person with on-camera. In the post-pandemic workplace, meetings will become a mix of people joining in-person and remotely, so it’s incumbent on all of us to make those sessions inclusive and bring everyone into the room. We’ll also need to meet our teams halfway in planning for time when we are all together -- making the most of in-person meetings for creative problem-solving or learning sessions that benefit from team interaction. And when we are in the office, we will need to find ways to invest in the personal connections that serve as the foundation for relationships.

While we are still working out the definition of flexibility for our future workplace, one thing is clear: the pandemic has opened the door to new conversations and concerns about what colleagues need to feel safe, supported and balanced. It starts with leaders listening to the different experiences of the different demographics in their populations. We then need to make a concerted effort to support working families by creating an environment where colleagues -- regardless of level or gender -- have flexibility and the confidence to bring their whole selves to work.

?Read more in the Fortune article below, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic.