Return To Office Rewards Could Further Exclude Marginalized Groups, Survey Finds
Return to office (RTO) rewards could cause further exclusion for marginalized and underrepresented groups, a new KPMG survey has found.
Return to office rewards
KPMG’s 2023 CEO Outlook report included more than 1,300 global CEOs sharing their views on geopolitics, RTO, and AI.
The report found that the majority of CEOs (64%) are anticipating a full RTO in three years, with 9 in 10 (87%) saying they are likely to reward employees who make an effort to come into the office.
The rewards would include favorable assignments, raises, or promotions.
However, the report stated hybrid working has had a largely positive impact on productivity over the past three years.
As organizations roll out their RTO plans, leaders must take a long-term view of employees’ needs to be nurtured and supported.
Impact on DEI progress
The CEOs stated while there is broad alignment on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), there needs to be more pace.
Two-thirds of CEOs reported that DEI progress could be moving faster.
However, HR Brew stated that in-office mandates and rewards could impede DEI efforts.
Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, Laura Morgan Roberts, told HR Brew that employees from marginalized populations often face hurdles to career advancement.
She claimed that RTO rewards could only further exclude these workers from mentorship, coaching, or access to promotions.
“We know from research that members of marginalized and underrepresented groups because they feel less included at work, are less enthusiastic about spending time in the office when it’s unnecessary,” said Roberts.
A recent survey by ResumeBuilder.com also found that 65% of Black Americans prefer to work from the office less frequently.
Although 72% said returning to the office increased their productivity, 1 in 4 said they had a dip in productivity due to resenting their employer for forcing an RTO.
In 2021, 97% of Black knowledge workers reported not being ready to return to the office, with home becoming a refuge from racism, crude jokes, and office politics.
Roberts explained that the trends to date support or suggest that those individuals who are willing and able to go back into the office are going to be disproportionately white men.
