Let’s suppose you’ve finally discovered the perfect candidate for the role. The experience is perfect, the fit is great, and they are ready to start.
So you ask them to report at the workplace on Monday morning.
That’s when you realize they are not willing to do that. They want to work remotely.
But your workplace is adamant. You cannot allow that. Even though the role easily lends itself to remote working!
What would you do? Would you let go of that talent just because of the rules or will you enable remote work?
As the clamor for a return to the workplace grows louder now that the pandemic is(thankfully!) well and truly behind us, there is a significant tug-of-war between employers and employees.
So, what does a forced return to the workplace mean for the wfh/remote worker?
Ø Those who are also caregivers will be forced to drop out.
Ø Mothers with young children and limited or no childcare help are out of the running.
Ø Those who live far from the workplace with no feasible commute options are ruled out.
Ø The physically challenged will have to forfeit their chance at employment.
Ø The neurodivergent with their special challenges and anxieties will become unavailable.
Ø People facing intermittent health issues will lose out since they may not be able to be physically present.
What this essentially means is that employers will be depriving themselves of the best people for the job purely because of a rigid insistence on physical presence at the workplace.
What is more important to note is that this decision can be construed as one that goes against the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion(DEI) that businesses worldwide are increasingly adopting.
Businesses also stand to lose by being restricted from exploring and leveraging the best talent available when they offer location-agnostic employment or engagement. Instead of tapping into a massive, rich pool of global talent, their choice will be limited to a tiny fraction of it.
As Katie Burke of HubSpot says, "Do you want to access talent everywhere, or just in specific markets? If the answer is everywhere, you need to be at least open to the possibility of remote work — it opens doors to attracting and retaining talent around the world, literally and figuratively."