Return to working in office - what are your thoughts?

Sarah Tuberty
Sarah Tuberty Posts: 4
in Workplace and Employment

Today, July 15th, with only 8 weeks notice, Mayor Cherelle Parker of Philadelphia, PA, USA called on all city workers to end their remote shifts and return to working in the office 5 days a week.

Mayor Parker comments that "Employee presence at the workplace allows for more personal and productive interactions. It facilitates
communication. It promotes social connections as well as collaboration,
innovation and inclusion. It also delivers on my promise of an
accessible workforce that is best situated to serve the people of
Philadelphia."

I can not help but think of the possibility for our disabled workers who took up remote jobs during the past 4 years. How does this change impact them, does this mandate essentially force them to resign? This is especially important, as city jobs have a variety of attractive benefits not offered by corporate jobs.

NBC 10 Philly Mayor Parker calls on workers to return to the office

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGQ35YCWfBo

Remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to positively impact the disability community as it allowed more avenues for individuals to engage in meaningful employment with out needing to fight accommodations in the office.

How important is the option for remote work for the disability community? What is some of the rationale for choosing remote work options?

What types of changes would need to happen in our work force to create environments that facilitated for in person work vs remote work?

Comments

  • Tom Richer
    Tom Richer Posts: 94

    Thanks for posting this @sarah . I agree remote working has opened up more job opportunities for the disabled community. However, there are other downfalls such as loneliness.

    I think many organisations will have a one size fits all policy where everyone comes in on a particular day(s) or full 5 days. This may exclude a lot of disabled employees.

    I think another question to add here is what would need to happen in our workforce to create environments that facilitate in-person and remote work in harmony.

    Perhaps someone else has something to add?

  • Samantha Fletcher
    Samantha Fletcher Member (Full) Posts: 106

    In the UK the work foundation and Nuffield health have done research on the advantages of remote working for inclusion.

    Our survey and interviews have confirmed that access to remote and hybrid working can be particularly important for disabled people 80% of disabled workers surveyed said that working from home would be essential or very important if they were looking for a new job. Source: Work Foundation survey, N= 403

    For me due to my ADD I find going to the office trieding and often under productive due to the distractions.

    https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/publications/the-changing-workplace

  • Tom Richer
    Tom Richer Posts: 94

    Thanks, Samantha!

  • Shannon McLain
    Shannon McLain Member (Full) Posts: 8

    AND the conditions that they have returned to are horrible! Furniture piled up in spaces that they are supposed to walk through, not enough desks or chairs, and the air conditioning not reliably working. These conditions are difficult on everyone but especially disabled workers.

  • Sarah Tuberty
    Sarah Tuberty Posts: 4

    What a great insight @Shannon McLain these are big details that need to be addressed!!

  • Geoff Cook
    Geoff Cook Member (Full) Posts: 55

    I love remote work, but loneliness is real. I appreciate the follow-up from Shannon.

  • Ali Ingersoll
    Ali Ingersoll Posts: 89

    As a person with a disability in a wheelchair who needs to work remotely for medical reasons, it's actually quite terrifying to me the possibility of removing remote work. I've been paying close attention to this and dozens of my able-bodied friends are having to return to the office.

  • DavidDArcangelo
    DavidDArcangelo Member (Full) Posts: 15

    This is a great question.

    Yes, remote work has helped ameliorate various barriers for people with disabilities, but it has also reduced the amount and frequency of community-based person-to-person experiences and interactions.

    Further, an aspect of remote work that had long been contemplated has been "the essential functions of the job" and in some instances those essential functions could include being present on-site. Particularly, if other peer employees are being asked to report and/or are reporting on-site that it is reasonable to expect/want people with disabilities to be treated the same way.

    Now, that raises a question; "Can remote work be considered a Reasonable Accommodation?" Generally, the EEOC and various court cases have indicated that remote work may be part of a Reasonable Accommodation process provided that; the person with a disability can perform the essential job functions, and; that the schedule and arrangement does not cause "undue hardship" on the employer.

    A nice resource that describes these and other alternative work arrangements can be found at AskJan.org https://askjan.org/topics/telework.cfm

    There is a balance to seek. Yes, having remote work to enable people with disabilities to work can be very beneficial. However, the work environment and the whole travel to and from work involves community participation, which is a significant aspect of demonstrating independence and self-determination.

    One thing that our recent societal events has shown us is, when well managed, a hybrid work environment could help achieve that balance and include the benefits of both remote and in-person environments.

  • Ali Ingersoll
    Ali Ingersoll Posts: 89

    Really thoughtful post David. It's a tricky challenge to solve because I see both your points. What are your thoughts on whether you feel remote work is a reasonable accommodation? Where did the lines get gray in your mind?

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