Is the Return to Office Mandate a Step Back for Women in Tech?

Regina Viadro, SVP of Intellias, champions flexible work as crucial, especially amid return-to-office mandates. Citing her own experiences, she highlights the benefits of remote and hybrid work models for women in tech; such as leveling the playing field, accommodating diverse needs, and fostering a more inclusive and empathetic work culture.

The tech industry has known all along that working from home works well. This is supported by surveys according to FlexJobs Remote Work Insights of Women and Men survey, which shows that 63% of professionals are willing to take a pay cut to work remotely. There is a gender gap: 73% of women, as opposed to 63% of men, would prefer a job that’s 100% remote. With the current return-to-work mandate in place, it seems that women are returning to the office—  much against their preference.  

At the same time, women are holding fewer C-suite positions for the first time in almost 20 years, according to a recent Elusive Parity report by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Tech companies are faring better: Ahmed Sherif of Statista reported in November 2023 that Facebook has  37% of leadership positions held by women; Apple –  32%; fully remote GitLab boasts 37% women among the company’s leadership;  

According to the 9th Women In The Workplace 2023 report by McKinsey, the shift towards remote and hybrid setups during COVID-19 has been a turning point for working women, especially in the traditionally male-dominated tech world. 

According to a recent Financial TimesOpens a new window analysis, flexible work arrangements and the demand for talent have narrowed the employment gap between men and women in tech. This transition opened doors, creating more equitable opportunities. As companies consider a full return to the office, we must ask: are we on the brink of sliding backward? Are we about to undo the progress we’ve just achieved? 

The Beginning: Work from Home 

I know firsthand just how critical flexibility is for working moms. When I landed my first tech job in the late ’90s, I negotiated a flexible work arrangement where I could work from home a couple of days a week. I had a baby at home and needed the ability to better juggle everything on my plate. At the time, this was practically unheard of, but my company took a chance on me.  

Flash forward through two and a half decades, three more kids, and a winding path up the corporate ladder, and that flexibility has remained my non-negotiable. There have been plenty of stretches when I clocked in extra hours or traveled extensively. Regardless, I stayed firm: to take on extra responsibility and a bigger role, I needed to be able to work remotely some of the time but consistently.  

And Then the World Went Home  

When the world went remote practically overnight in 2020, my day-to-day didn’t change all that much. However, I saw more women building momentum in their careers, taking advantage of the flexibility I had carved out for myself much earlier. Watching my female colleagues realize they no longer had to apologize for having a life outside work or constantly worry that family obligations would stunt their professional growth – I felt elated. 

The facts followed: in 2022 BLS’ Women In The Labor Force: A Databook report, for the first time, women accounted for 51.7% of managerial roles, showcasing tangible progress in workplace gender equality.  

So, what was the secret sauce? How did women manage to surge ahead in the midst of so much turmoil? To me, the biggest piece was remote and hybrid work, leveling the playing field. Barriers and biases tend to disappear when everyone is an equalized little square on Zoom. Unfortunately, Zoom, a key player in enabling remote work during the COVID-19 crisis, has recently initiated its own office return policy, mandating employees spend two days a week on-site. 

The shift wasn’t just about logistics; it was a profound change in leadership approach and organizational culture. I saw and heard from colleagues that empathy came to the forefront, with leaders recognizing and accommodating the diverse needs of their teams. 

This empathy – recognizing everyone’s unique challenges and contributions while allowing significant flexibility – was key in helping women excel while working remotely. A recent episode of the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast, “It’s Cool To Be Kind: The Value Of Empathy At Work”, discusses such empathetic leadership not only creates a more welcoming work atmosphere but also boosts job satisfaction and keeps employees around, which is vital for women’s continued progress. 

All of a sudden, those multitasking skills that women hone to perfection and that let us juggle work and home became a superpower instead of a liability. We could put in the hours needed to go after big assignments or promotions without spending set hours chained to a desk. 

Being able to shift our work hours around as needed — cranking through emails at 6 a.m., hopping offline to handle the after-school routine, diving back in after bedtime — without having to ask for permission or apologize for being absent during the day it was revolutionary for so many women, myself included. It let us really lean into our careers at the same time, as many of us were raising children or taking care of our aging parents without worrying about getting judged.   

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Back-to-Office Mandates  

I worry that the pressure to get back to the office will evaporate progress. Women with thriving careers and a work-life balance may not be willing to stuff that genie back in the bottle. Men, too, have come to appreciate the work-life balance and may not be willing to give up time with their families. If workplaces don’t budge on flexibility, many may feel forced to take a step back when facing the prospect of five days in the office.  

Companies enforcing strict return-to-office policies are facing other unforeseen challenges as well. According to a recent FortuneOpens a new window article, “bosses thought they won the return-to-office wars by imposing rigid policies, now they’re facing a wave of legal battles.”

This development highlights the complexities and potential legal implications of disregarding the desire for flexibility and underscores the importance of thoughtful policymaking. Signs are emerging across various sectors that companies should reevaluate the conventional hours in-office setup. Many are recognizing that this traditional model might be outdated and potentially unfair, especially as it seems to support men’s career paths more than women’s, who often juggle a disproportionate share of caregiving duties. 

Flexibility Is Key to Retain Top Talent 

Businesses that embrace and implement flexible work arrangements will attract and retain top talent, especially women. Moreover, remote work has broken down the barriers of location, allowing firms to tap into a worldwide pool of talent and expertise. This global talent pool not only enriches the skills and perspectives within teams but also drives innovation by incorporating a wide array of cultural insights and problem-solving approaches. 

Most recently, Dell announced a punitive policy that bans remote workers from getting promoted or changing roles. This joins the ranks of tech firms such as Meta and Google that have instituted strict measures to tighten the reins on remote work arrangements. UPS and Boeing are the latest big names to join Goldman Sachs and Twitter/X in mandating the five-day return to office. Similarly, TikTok requires some of its US teams to return to the office for a five-day workweek.      

While this shift is concerning, I believe that the real winners will be the companies that incorporate flexible ways of working. Speak Up 2022: Women’s Voices In The Tech Workplace conducted a study of 1,500 women in tech and found that 97% of respondents say there are more opportunities for them in the tech job market due to remote work, and 82% think remote work has made it easier to advance in their careers. As long as we can let go of the all-hours-in-the-office mentality, the future is flexible – and full of top talent from around the globe. 

Here are some key action items that business leaders can undertake to gain a competitive edge:

• Embrace flexibility as the new normal, not just a temporary perk. The companies that will thrive long-term are those that figure out how to make remote and hybrid setups work for the long haul. Don’t just pay lip service to flexibility — walk the talk by integrating it into your policies and culture. 

• Recognize that empathy and accommodating diverse needs isn’t just feel-good stuff  — it’s a strategic necessity. Creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone can balance career and life without fear of penalty will be crucial for attracting and keeping top talent.  

Things to do in a nutshell:  

• Embracing permanence: Make flexible work a permanent fixture, not a passing fad. 
• Prioritizing empathy: Lead with empathy and design policies around diverse needs while focusing on results, not schedule  
• Recognizing competitive advantage: View flexibility as a competitive advantage for talent, innovation and results 

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