llustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, most knowledge workers are in hybrid work arrangements, partly remote and partly in-office, a new survey finds.
By the numbers: 58% said they now work this way, in a survey of around 10,000 knowledge workers from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, conducted last November by Future Forum, a research group backed by Slack.
- Back in May 2021, 46% of workers were hybrid.
Why it matters: These hybrid arrangements could deepen work inequities for parents, especially mothers and workers of color — groups that are more likely to work remotely.
- And yet, caregivers need and want the flexibility; and workers of color do, too. The survey finds that underrepresented groups overwhelmingly prefer flexible, remote arrangements.
State of play: 75% of working parents are remote or hybrid compared to 64% of non-parents, according to the survey.
- Meanwhile, executives are more likely to come into the office, the survey found.
The big picture... The risk is proximity bias: Executives favor the workers they see in the office.
- Some managers, cognizant of this danger, are figuring out how to avoid it.
The bottom line: “If we apply the old models of presenteeism and hustle culture, we run the risks of widening the cracks of DEI across organizations,” says Brian Elliott, executive leader of Future Forum.