The desire for flexibility is particularly strong among those who historically have been underrepresented in knowledge work, including people of color, women and working mothers, according to the survey report:

In the United States, 86% of Hispanic/Latinx knowledge workers and 81% of Asian/Asian American and Black knowledge workers would prefer a hybrid or remote work arrangement, compared with 75% of white knowledge workers.
Globally, 52% of women want to have work location flexibility at least three days a week, compared with 46% of men.
Half of working mothers want to work remotely most or all of the time, compared with 43% of working fathers.
The number one concern among executives with respect to flexible work is the potential for inequities to develop between remote and in-office employees.

"Executives are now acknowledging that there has been a shift in the past two years, and they don't know how to create equity in this new normal," said Ella F. Washington, an organizational psychologist and professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. "This is an opportunity for organizations to reevaluate, refresh or maybe even start over with some of their management processes, from performance evaluation to diversity and inclusion. No one wants to hear that, but it's not effective for us to shift over old models to this new way of working. A blank slate can be a real opportunity."

Instant Insights /

Promoting equity becomes a key focus as hybrid arrangements dominate

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