Lawyer Monthly Magazine August 2020 Edition

25 AUG 2020 | WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM The challenge with mental health, when staff are on furlough or working from home, is that we can no longer “see” people and spot some of the common signs we would if we were in the office. Conversely, a significant positive which is emerging from lockdown, is that home working and flexible working is effective. This is something many working parents and employees with disabilities have longed for and have found that prior to lockdown, these working arrangements were often rejected for ‘business reasons’. Being thrust into this ‘new normal’ means employees and employers alike have had to embrace home working and flexible working, around homeschooling, for example. If companies continue How does lockdown and working from home create issues when it comes to maintaining a diverse workplace? There are different issues for different sectors of society, but what is clear is that lockdown, for many, has disrupted and slowed down progress being made in the diverseand inclusive (D&I) space.What has caused concerns for working parents is different to what concerned, for example, the BAME community. So, the issue of resentment and misunderstanding between different sectors are likely to continue to grow, especially when businesses are putting their D&I agendas on hold due to lockdown. Working parents, pregnant women or those with disabilities and BAME employees, are at more high risk to COVID-19 and, therefore, are more likely to have been furloughed, meaning fewer opportunities for progression, and them feeling “behind” or “redundant” on return. For many of those who have been furloughed, we are also seeing a huge impact on their mental health, as they feel like they have lost their sense of purpose and they are feeling isolated and disengaged with uncertainty about their role on return. This can impact on progression and on integration back into the workplace. It’s like a double hit those people and for diversity and inclusion. AN INTERVIEW WITH JODIE HILL The pandemic has turned the world upside down. A result of this is the shift towards remote working. Speaking to Employment Lawyer Jodie Hill, we discuss the importance of maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace and how to do so. to embrace this in the future, they will inevitably attract a more diverse workforce; however, if they revert back to the old ways, they are likely to lose their diverse workforce. What should companies do to ensure their workplace remains diverse and inclusive when working from home – especially if companies decide to remain working remotely? Communication is key with all staff regardless of their status. Companies should avoid putting D&I initiatives on hold and should continue to engage throughout the rest of the year. We saw mental health awareness week and Pride month during lockdown, as well as the BLM movement. Employers should continue to address diversity and inclusion and communicate their plans to the team; it should be at the top of their agenda now more than ever. Many organisations are naturally concerned over finances and state they simply ‘don’t have time’. Those organisations should remember that their workforce is the core of their business, they will undoubtedly need those people to help them recover from the difficulties caused by lockdown and right now, people will remember how you made them feel. Diversity and inclusion are not ‘nice to have’, it is essential to retain in order to attract a diverse workforce. Businesses really need to innovate right now and engage in wellbeing and mental health risk assessments so that they fully understand the needs each employee has. Conducting mental health and wellbeing risk assessments at this time is of paramount importance, it will focus your training and investment around wellbeing and identify what support your team actually need, especially as many businesses will continue to work remotely into 2021. Post lockdown, and once furlough is no more, employers should continue to innovate, listen and work with their employees considering continuing Maintaining Diversity in the Workplace During Lockdown “Communication is key with all staff regardless of their status. Companies should avoid putting on hold D&I initiatives and should continue to engage throughout the rest of the year.”