By Ed Kopko
CEO & Publisher, Bold Business
Chief Technology Strategist
Diversity MBA Media & Diversity Learning Solutions
Prior to the pandemic, 17% of the workforce worked from home. That number jumped to44% in 2020 1, and recent surveys reveal that 74% of companies plan to make certain aspects of that workforce shift permanent.2 Why? Because the transition to work-from-home (WFH) life was nearly seamless, which showed that, regardless of where employees live, a good Internet connection ensures businesses can go on as usual, and even thrive. In fact, a recent study by Hubspot found that 91% of remote workers say they are more productive than when working in their office.3 This bodes well for productivity, and it also means that by breaking down the “distance barrier” and taking geography out of the equation, there is virtually nothing standing in the way of companies expanding the diversity of their workforce. WFH reduces location bias, increases job accessibility… reduces excuses!
“Work From Home has radically altered the diversity hiring equation by reducing location bias and expanding job access for all across the diversity spectrum.” -Edward Kopko
Recruiting and hiring has long been done by plumbing the depths of the local talent pool. If a company’s office was in Manhattan, NY, or Miami, FL, or Billings, MT, then employees came from within commuting distance. If a city lacked diversity, the company was somewhat off the hook in terms of finding a diverse workforce. How could they find BIPOC candidates if there were none within range of car, bus or subway? It was one of the top reasons companies cited for not meeting diversity goals. This geographic impediment to diversity hiring is a form of location bias, and as per Recruiting Daily, “remote work helps defeat location bias… and opens the door to new and transformative opportunities.” 4
With WFH more prominent and viable, companies can tap into a talent pool that extends throughout the world. A workforce logging in from home means nearly limitless job accessibility, and “[b]y embracing remote work, companies can take on all types of workers they would otherwise miss out on.”5 This broadening of the diversity spectrum means more qualified candidates who would otherwise be excluded based on gender, disability, or more. Global hiring also means companies can accelerate their diversity by working with partners with international footprints. After all, global hiring gives the added benefit of true cultural diversity (and transforms managers with culturally-homogenous management skills to those with true cross-cultural leadership ability).
In addition to opening up the talent pool, WFH means a far easier implementation of tools used for diversity hiring. As per Ideal.com, “Diversity hiring is hiring based on merit with special caretaken to ensure procedures are free from biases related to a candidate’s age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job performance.” 6 The tools of diversity hiring include blind hiring, in which a candidate’s personal information is scrubbed to reduce unconscious bias, and intelligent shortlisting, which utilizes automated software to screen qualified candidates.
According to Diversity Jobs, “beginning in September of 2020, women were forced out of the workforce at four times the rate of men.” 7 With women worldwide shouldering the bulk of homecare responsibilities, it’s no wonder that they’ve departed from the workforce in such numbers. However, this expansion of the gender gap–which is an enduring impediment to workforce diversity–can be fixed. “Despite the challenges of homecare duties, there are studies that have shown that WFH’s flexibility allows mothers to continue working normal hours after childbirth–if they wish–letting them maintain well-paying jobs and remaining in the workforce even in more demanding times for their families.” 8
Prior to the pandemic, I wrote in the Diversity Business Review that “[w]hen enterprises go global, diversity is inevitable. The simple act of engaging in commerce beyond the borders of one’s own country will expose a company to a wide range of people who might not share the same social values and beliefs. That’s just the nature of global business.” 9
Thanks to WFH, every company can go–and should already be–global. Which means that there is nothing truly stopping a workforce from getting a healthy dose of diversity.
Don’t forget diversity (or equity and inclusion) during this time, especially if it feels like your business is in limbo because every employee is working from home. A WFH posture opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to making a workforce more diverse. And if you need guidance in navigating these waters, there are consultants and training videos available to help you, courtesy of Diversity MBA and Bold Business.
The bottom line is that WFH reduces excuses and expands possibilities. With working from home, it’s time to accelerate DEI initiatives!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Edward Kopko currently serves as CEO and Publisher Bold Business LLC, , a global outsourcing and technology solutions company that operates on an international level, with offices in New York City, St. Petersburg, FL, Raleigh, NC, the Philippines and India. Ed previously served as chairman and CEO of Butler International for 23 years, overseeing a wide array of worldwide offices and sophisticated assignments. While there, he witnessed firsthand the importance of diversity and inclusion for long-term business success, and managed a global workforce of over 4000 that encompassed a multitude of diversity dimensions, ultimately supervising the integration of employees with extremely disparate backgrounds. In addition, he was the CEO and publisher of Chief Executive Magazine, a publication geared towards providing insight for and on C-level executives. His articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and numerous other media outlets. He is a graduate from Columbia University with a Master’s degree in Economics. For his work promoting DEI issues, he was given the 2019 Diversity Impact Award, and his book, PROJECT BOLD LIFE: The Proven Formula to Take on Challenges and Achieve Happiness and Success, has been described as a “must read text for those facing diversity and inclusion challenges.” Ed is a firm believer in the notion that no true measure of business accomplishment on a global scale is possible without diversity, and that once inclusion enters into the equation, success will follow.
References
1 Statista.com, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1122987/change-in-remote-work-trends-after-covid-in-usa/
3 Hubspot.net,https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/443262/TINYpulse_What_Leaders_Need_to_Know_About_Remote_Workers.pdf?t=1462203875281
4 Recruiting Daily,https://recruitingdaily.com/why-remote-work-is-the-best-opportunity-for-diversity-inclusion-yet/
5 Seekout,https://blog.seekout.io/remote-work-diversity-recruiting/
6 Ideal.com,https://ideal.com/diversity-hiring/
7 Diversity Jobs,https://www.diversityjobs.com/2020/10/how-working-from-home-gender-inequality/
8 Diversity Jobs, ibid.
9 Diversity Business Review, https://www.diversitybusinessreview.com/global-diversity-and-inclusion-and-the-perils-of-ignoring-local-norms/
