Bank of England monetary committee member Catherine Mann’s widely reported comments about women working remotely being disadvantaged in career terms have been strongly criticised.
Mann had warned that there was potential for “two tracks” developing, with more women working from home than men. She said: “There’s the people who are on the virtual track and people who are on a physical track. And I do worry that we will see those two tracks develop, and we will pretty much know who’s going to be on which track, unfortunately.”
In April, the Office for National Statistics reported that “women were slightly more likely to do some work at home than men, 47.5% and 45.7% respectively.” This minimal divide between men and women has not stopped statements being aired about offices being full of career-driven men, while women stay at home to combine work with caring responsibilities.
Remote working technology expert Amanda Harvey, a mother of a one-year-old and an employee at Silicon Reef, told Personnel Today that Mann’s comments were “categorically wrong”.
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She said the crucial point was whether the employer was committed to remote or flexible working or not. She added: “I’m proof that the technology does work and employers can make it work if they want to. My career isn’t being affected. In fact, working for a firm that is 100% dedicated to remote working, means I’m going from strength-to-strength.”
“It shouldn’t be down to those who work remotely owing to caring responsibilities – or any other reason – to assure their career isn’t damaged. The technology is available and the gap between the office and virtual world is getting narrower and narrower.”
Harvey added: “Condemning remote workers for damaging their own career development is victim blaming. If there is any blame, it lies squarely at the foot of businesses that allow it to happen and who say the technology isn’t good enough to allow proper collaboration. It is, and it must be used.”
The technology is available and the gap between the office and virtual world is getting narrower and narrower” –Amanda Harey, Silicon Reef
Andrew Mawson, a founding director of global consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates, also felt Mann’s comments were misplaced and put the onus on leadership to create an environment where all employees could flourish: “While I disagree with Catherine Mann’s comments, it highlights a pressing need for business leaders to become forward thinking and listen to their staff,” he said.
“Over the past 18 months, the workforce, which has largely proved it can work well with flexible arrangements, has gained more power in the decision-making process.”
He added that in many cases tension remained between employers who were accustomed to more traditional ways of working, and who felt they could dominate the agenda, and employees who wanted to work on their own terms. He said: “Two worlds of working are colliding and somewhere in the debris are the forward-thinking answers that business leaders and middle managers need. This is all conventional thinking and the world and organisations are on a journey of change to align with new norms.
“It will take a little while yet for them to find what works best for their organisation, and we are going to be going through this normalising process for some time. The future will be very different, and if companies want the very best talent then they will have to pull out all the stops, and that includes creating ways to let them work flexibly.”
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Mann’s comments echoed those of chancellor Rishi Sunak in July when he urged the maximum possible number of workers to return to the office, warning that younger people in particular would be disadvantaged by remaining at home. His comments were also criticised, with Sion Lewis, VP and MD EMEA at technology firm LogMeIn, saying: “Many employers have rightfully come to the conclusion that the ‘bums on seats’ model of productivity is obsolete.”
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