Talent Acquisition Manager & Founder of Bonsai Talent 💻| Professional Dad & Husband ❤️| Amateur Cyclist🚴🏽♂️| Cold Brew Coffee Master ☕️| Beatles #1 Fan 🎸
"We need people in the office 4 days a week and if they can't, they are not the kind of people the Founders want at the company" This is a comment I heard recently from a Talent Lead and it doesn't sound like inclusive hiring to me. Sure, this is what happened a lot pre pandemic but we live in different times and it's been proven that more flexibility with employment works. I know the benefits of working in an office so this isn't a naive take on this subject but what does this stance mean for the wider demographic. The amazing person who is a wheelchair user and navigating through a major city is not impossible, but incredibly challenging ❌ The amazing person who is Neurodiverse and struggles with too much interaction, noise and social cues ❌ The amazing person who is a parent and having to juggle nursery/school times ❌ The amazing person who is affected by the cost of living crisis and struggles to be able to pay for a train ticket ❌ The amazing person who suffers from anxiety and the thought of being in a crowded train fills them with dread ❌ These are all examples of people in my network who I thought about when I heard that statement. None stand a chance of ever getting hired at that company, but all could bring incredible value to any company. If you offer more flexibility you open the door for more amazing talent. A win/win....surely ✌ #flexibleworking #remote #talentacquisition #inclusivehiring #thoughtoftheday
So many companies getting RTO so wrong, feel for the poor recruiter(s) having to sell in 4 days in the office 🏢 your job just become harder overnight. As for your competitors they’ll be targeting your staff with the flexibility line for sure. It won’t be long before we all have those target lists of which companies come into the office 5, 4 and 3 days a week in those candidate searches 🔎
This move back to the office has left the disabled back at home, when often we actually had flexible roles before Covid. In many cases, we were never in the office. I got told last week that asking for remote as a reasonable adjustment would make getting the job unlikely - yes, I know this is direct discrimination. I can't walk properly about 3 days a week.
The way you phrased it sounds triggering! It's a little weird to say 'They aren't our kind of people' However, some companies benefit from being in the office and in the end it's up to leadership what kind of culture they set. I agree with you that they'll probably lose out on some great talent but if the founding team want 4 days in, then it's their prerogative.
We demonstrated in 2020 that we can be trusted, productive, and collaborative at home. If we want the best candidates, we have to allow them to work how they want. From wherever they want. And to an extent, whenever they want. So long as the job gets done, what does it matter? 🤷♀️
I am certainly not the kind of person who they want at their company... so the Founders and stick to people who are prepared to put up with their regime... Thank God I don't have to put up with such attitudes any more... WFH has been a breath of fresh air after 30 years of 5 days commuting... That said, I am happy to go in when it's necessary...
Also all the data shows people are more productive working remote..
People Operations Lead
8moI’m amused that they think how many days in the office you do speaks to the “type” of person you are when actually one has nothing to do with the other. People need flexibility for all sorts of reasons but that’s not about their values or work ethic, it’s often a practical issue or as you point out they don’t necessarily thrive in a traditional environment.