The Alliance’s Action Steps are designed to assist organizations with implementing practical strategies and policies related to diversity and flexibility. Members can access full versions of all of the Alliance’s Action Steps in the Member Resource Center.

Many organizations have moved to a hybrid environment since the pandemic. The pandemic enlightened leaders and employees on the many benefits of hybrid work, including productivity, profitability, business continuity, work-life control, and wellness. However, a hybrid work environment requires responsibility, intentionality, and support to succeed. Bias is more likely to creep into a hybrid environment. Specifically, you must watch out for proximity bias, in which leaders favor workers that are in the office more frequently than employees who tend to work virtually. Additionally, a hybrid environment will likely compound other biases, including similarity bias, an affinity to people who have “similar interests, experiences and backgrounds,” and confirmation bias, the tendency to focus on information confirming beliefs and prejudices.1 Organizations, leaders and individuals must work together to interrupt these biases to create a successful hybrid environment:

Members: continue reading this Action Step in the Member Resource Center

To read this entire Action Step become a member of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. To learn more contact Manar Morales.

1 Tsipursky, Gleb. “The psychology behind why some leaders are resisting a hybrid work model.” Fortune (June 8, 2021). https://fortune.com/2021/06/08/return-remote-work-hybrid-modelsurveys-covid/

As we come to the end of our tenth year of thought leadership, community, and collaboration the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance team is celebrating how far we’ve come. We sat down with Alliance Founder, President & CEO, Manar Morales to discuss workplace highlights since 2012 and her vision for the future.  Read our full Ten Year Anniversary Report HERE.

  1. When you began this journey, what was your vision for the future of diversity and flexibility in the workplace?

When I launched the Alliance in July 2012 my vision was to create an organization that could advise firms on a new approach to working in which anyone who wanted to stay in the workforce would be successful. I wanted to show the industry a broader view of how work gets done and that there really can be a place for everyone. This vision was born out of my own personal experience when I wanted to continue to work as an attorney with scaled back hours while my children were young. I truly believe that no one should be pushed out of the workforce because they don’t fit the traditional mold. My goal was also to show organizations the importance of having diversity in leadership, and the intersection between flexibility and diversity.  I want organizations to strive for a workplace where everyone’s experiences are the same and everyone feels valued, seen and heard.

 

  1. In 2012, what was your biggest challenge when working with members?

I think our biggest challenge in 2012 was convincing law firm leaders that flexible work actually works. They’d say, “This is great, but it’s not going to work in the legal industry.” Our challenge was to prove that there are lots of different ways people can work, contribute, and achieve, and that flexibility can play a very positive role in the success of the organization.  We tried to encourage law firms to “Bridge the Gap” between what their flexibility policy said and what they were actually doing. The biggest challenge to us at that time was the status quo – “This is the way it’s always been done.”  The silver lining of COVID was that it took away the status quo. People were forced to work this way and they could see it working at scale. The status quo is no longer a barrier.

 

  1. How has that challenge evolved and what’s the biggest challenge in 2023?

The same way 9/11 forever changed how we travel, COVID has forever changed how we work. It has changed people’s expectations of where and when employees work and, for the first time, organizational leaders had to pay attention to what was happening in people’s lives. During COVID, there had to be an alignment between people’s personal and professional lives. For the first time in history, we also have five generations in the workplace at once.  The culture in the workplace now is focused on keeping people happy. Top performers have a choice of where to work and if you want to retain them you must keep them happy and offer some sort of flexibility.

 

  1. What trend has had the most impact on the workplace in the last ten years?

I think the trend that has had the most significant impact on the workplace is the shift to hybrid that came hand-in-hand with COVID.  The silver lining of the pandemic is that leaders had to start paying attention to flexibility and playing a significant role in developing their organizations’ flexible work policies. More leaders are being brought into the conversation than ever before. I used to have conversations with talent and HR professionals, now leaders of the organization are listening. Flexibility has become integral to the success of companies and firms.

 

  1. How have leave policies evolved over the past ten years?

Companies and firms are finally beginning to understand the importance of removing primary and secondary caregiver designations in leave policies.  If you want to get more women into leadership, you have to have more opportunities for men to be involved in caregiving. By removing gender designations, both men and women can take caregiver leave when having or adopting a child.  Other programs like paid off-ramping and on-ramping before and after a leave are also low-cost benefits that have a powerful impact on retaining talent.

 

  1. What is the most memorable “Aha moment” you’ve had with members?

The most memorable “Aha moments” are when the conversation on flexibility shifts from it being a detriment to the organization, to the member visualizing flexibility as a driver of talent, diversity, productivity, and profitability.  I always try to encourage leaders to reframe how they are seeing flexibility and to imagine the benefits it can bring to an organization’s all-around success. I tell our members, “We can’t promise that you’re going to do everything we recommend, but we can promise you’ll be asking the right questions.”

 

  1. Where have you seen the greatest impact on a member’s organizational culture?

I think the greatest impact that we have had on our members is when we can get them to open up completely about their challenges and fears related to flexibility.  A shift in mindset and culture can only occur after an honest conversation around where they are and where they need to be.  Once their mindset evolves, leaders are often ready to look at their policies in a new light and intentionally modify their behaviors and practices to ensure success. It’s this ripple effect that builds greater success. Organizational culture can only be transformed once people, principles, policies and practices are all aligned.

 

  1. You have always said that there is an intersection between diversity and flexibility. How has that become even more clear in 2023?

When I founded the Alliance, one of my goals was to demonstrate the intersection between diversity and flexibility.  While we’ve always said that for an initiative to be inclusive you have to de-gender, de-stigmatize and de-parent flexibility, it is also very clear that women and caregivers benefit the most from flexibility. Not only did the pandemic prove that everyone wants and needs flexibility, it also highlighted the connection between diversity and flexibility.  As McKinsey reported, when polled, more women and diverse individuals will choose to work flexible schedules than other individuals. Organizations that value diversity must offer flexible working options while also committing to a greater focus on inclusion and engagement for all employees.

 

  1. What do you see as the biggest hurdles for the future of work?

The biggest hurdle moving forward is that organizations are not fully embracing how much change – both in their cultures and their day-to-day practices – needs to happen for their hybrid polices to work.  Hybrid policies work by design, not by default. There needs to be a total shift in mindset and behavior. For a hybrid working initiative to be successful, organizational leaders have the responsibility to create the practices and shift expectations on how to make this work. Individuals must commit to shifting their behaviors to support mentoring, talent development, collaboration and connection in the hybrid workplace.  Culture will only change once everyone commits to embracing new behaviors.

 

  1. What is your vision for the workplace ten years from now?

The workplace in ten years will no longer necessarily be tied to a location. Work will be a thing we do, not a place we go. There will always be a need for some in-person, human connection, but there will be more intentionality behind it. Technology will continue to take on a huge role in the evolution of the workplace and make it easier for us to connect when we are not in the same room.  I’m hopeful that the workplace of 2033 will be more humanized and people’s private lives will blend more seamlessly with their professional lives.

 

Read our full Tenth Anniversary Report HERE.

2023 Leadership Symposium | Session 3

We’ve Got This! Unlocking Belonging in Organizations

Featuring Ritu Bhasin, CEO, bhasin consulting inc.

December 12, 2023, 1:00pm ET

Many team members feel constant pressure to mask and curate who they are at work—to perform as someone they’re not rather than be who we are. And it strikes at their ability to belong. But, as leaders, by cultivating psychological safety, trust, inclusion, and creativity in how we work, we can unlock belonging in our organizations for everyone. In this practical, research-driven session, we will cover:

  • The key pillars for unlocking belonging in your organization as a leader
  • How to leverage the Three Selves Framework™ in how you lead and manage teams and stakeholders
  • How to create cultures that are rooted in belonging, psychological safety, trust, inclusion, innovation, and empowerment
  • Leadership strategies for fostering empathy, authenticity, and trust

This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 1.0 hour of total CLE credit. Of these, 1.0 qualify as hours of credit for diversity, inclusion and elimination of bias (BCLE Reg. 302:1). 

This event is open to all individuals at Champion and Leader member organizations. If you are an Advocate member and would like to learn more about purchasing access to the Leadership Symposium, contact Angela Whitehead Quigley.

Learn more about the Leadership Symposium here.

Are you ready to humanize your workplace?

As the global workplace continues to change, we’re faced with a myriad of complex challenges.

  • How can we evolve to meet the needs of employees in this uncertain economic landscape?
  • How do we reiterate our policies and cultures, while leveraging technology?
  • How do we ensure that diversity, equity and inclusion are central to our people strategy?
  • How do we stay competitive in an ever-present battle for top talent?

Join us on November 2, along with prominent thought leaders from around the world committed to strategically addressing the future of the workplace! Our 2023 Annual Conference will focus on the rapidly changing global workplace and how organizations can thrive by meeting the needs of their people in this ever-evolving environment! Humanizing the Workplace: Thriving Beyond the Global Reset will be held in-person on Thursday, November 2 at the Washington, DC offices of Akin Gump (2001 K Street, NW).

Don’t miss our 2023 Keynote presented by Dr. Jill Tiefenthaler, Chief Executive Officer of the National Geographic Society, the first woman CEO in the organization’s 134-year history, Jill has a deep commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion and is leading an effort to amplify the voices of women and those from underrepresented groups at the Society.

Under her leadership, the Society is prioritizing diversity and inclusion in the next generation of National Geographic Explorers, has built a senior team that is 60% women, and developed a board of trustees with equal numbers of women and men. Don’t miss Jill’s fascinating and inspiring keynote!

Members – please join us for two upcoming Innovation Circles:

Talent Leaders September 11, 2023 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST

We invite individuals at member organizations who hold the following roles (or the equivalent thereof in your organization) to register:

  • Chief People Officer or Director
  • Chief Talent Officer or Director
  • Chief HR Officer or Director

Diversity Leaders September 22, 2023 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST

We invite individuals at member organizations who hold the following roles (or the equivalent thereof in your organization) to register:

  • Chief Diversity Officer
  • Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Members – register for these events in the Member Resource Center or by emailing Emma Simpkins.