Impactful Inclusion Toolkit

ACTIVITY 23Engage Remote Colleagues with Intention

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”

—Angela Davis

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As the covid-19 pandemic was in full swing, many employers were forced to embrace the remote workforce as a means to stay afloat. While we are slowly getting back into the office at varying degrees, the remote workforce is here to stay. A post from Apollo Technical shared that “Upwork Global Inc. estimates that 22 percent of the workforce, 36.2 million Americans will work remotely by 2025,” and continues that “10,000 employees surveyed by the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago said they thought they were just as productive working from home compared to working in the office. In fact, 30 percent of those respondents told researchers they were more productive and engaged working from home.” In addition, they report, “Globally, 16 percent of companies are fully remote according to an Owl labs study.” The pivot to a remote workforce has widened the candidate pool for employers looking to attract and hire more people of color and those with physical and cognitive impairments. The work-from-anywhere business model affords employers the ability to hire individuals anywhere in the world without ever entering an office. The opportunity is even greater for employers in predominantly White areas who are hoping to leverage the benefits of a diverse workforce as the likelihood ...