Excerpt from Sammons Pensions Annual Salary Survey 2024
Hybrid work models have quickly established themselves in the workplace. Sammons Pensions Annual Salary Survey 2024 found that 29% of respondents have a working pattern of 2 days a week in the office, 24% are 100% home based.
This has presented a challenge for employers, how to ensure that those working remotely are not less visible potentially leading to fewer promotion opportunities versus office-based colleagues, where physical presence could be perceived as equalling greater productivity and commitment. Creating an inclusive culture that recognises and values all contributions, whether remote or in-office, not only benefits employees but strengthens your company by leveraging the full potential of a diverse workforce.
Strategies to overcome this include:
- Collaboration and networking. Seeking opportunities to enhance communication between remote and office-based employees will increase visibility for remote workers with both peers and with decision-makers. Regular one-to-one check-ins with remote employees will ensure remote workers feel informed and supported as well as being able to share feedback or ideas. Regular team/company-wide updates ensure employees are kept informed wherever based, can network and build relationships encouraging a more cohesive culture.
- Accessibility to opportunities for professional development. Training programmes, skill-building workshops, and leadership development opportunities being accessible in person, virtually or online to encourage both remote and office-based employees to participate.
- Clear, outcome-based evaluation criteria that applies equally to all employees. Focusing on specific, measurable performance metrics such as project completion rates, quality of work, impact on team goals ensures objective assessment of each employee’s contribution.
- Transparent evaluation processes help eliminate potential bias. Documented processes, promotion criteria, objectives and outcomes ensure all employees understand what is required to advance. Project management tools can track and showcase ongoing progress and achievements. Focus on results-driven contributions helps reinforce a culture that values outcomes over presence, creating a more level playing field.
