The Risk Of A Two-Class Employee System

A UK study revealed that those who worked from home between 2011 and 2020 were less than half as likely to be promoted and put in an average of 6 hours of unpaid overtime in 2020.

The unfortunate reality is that many at-home employees are treated differently than their in-office counterparts, leading them to feel more stress and pressure in the workplace.

With few employees slowly returning to the office for portions of the week, they are likely to renew old connections with colleagues that they have not seen in-person in well over a year. However, those who are at home could miss out on this sense of community.

Additionally, some managers may view the people who choose to return to the office as more dedicated to their jobs and naturally focus on employees who are physically present.

Those who are especially skeptical of a remote employees’ workload could implement surveillance technologies to see how much these staff members are actually working, leading them down the path of unhelpful micromanagement tactics.

Starting now, business leaders need to take measures to avoid creating this two-class system that is at high risk of emerging. 

This should include keeping remote staff in the loop of any and all new developments, provide them with the necessary tools and furniture for at-home environments and remember that remote workers are often just as dedicated to their work as their in-person counterparts.