Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

OfficesChildcareCoronavirusGenderEquality, diversity and inclusion

CMI chief: Return to office could create two-tier workforce

by Jo Faragher 14 Sep 2020
by Jo Faragher 14 Sep 2020 Women who work from home could be left out of key decisions, according to the CMI
Shutterstock
Women who work from home could be left out of key decisions, according to the CMI
Shutterstock

Pushing people back into the office risks creating a two-tier system where ‘white middle-aged males’ are making important decisions, Chartered Management Institute chief executive Ann Francke claimed this weekend.

In an interview with the Guardian, Francke said that blended working – where a portion of the workforce return to the office while the rest continues to work from home – could inadvertently discriminate against women and people from black and ethnic minorities as they are left out of key decisions.

Coronavirus and equality

UK lags behind Europe on returning to office

Diversity and inclusion survey 2020

“The risk is when we go back into the office, the people that go back will be the senior leaders. And we know that those senior leaders are largely white men,” she said. “That will reinforce the kind of exclusionary, lack of diverse culture at the top of organisations. I think that would be a very dangerous step backwards.”

She added: “I don’t think it is the responsibility of companies to save the local sandwich shop. The bottom line is, ultimately those businesses that are really affected in the long term will have to adapt. They simply have to adapt.”

The government has recently been stepping up its message to encourage employees to return to offices, with concerns that cities are suffering due to a lack of business from commuters.

As the new ‘rule of six’ comes into effect today, where social gatherings of more than six people inside or outside are banned, workplaces remain exempt.

A poll by the CMI for the Guardian found that 42% of managers thought the lack of childcare caused by the coronavirus pandemic – due to unpredictable school closures or lack of before and after-school clubs -– could have a negative impact on female employees, while only 20% thought this would be a problem for men.

Francke said that the decision to suspend the requirement for companies to report their gender pay gap this year could also push back progress in gender equality at work.

Earlier this month, a poll by the TUC found that two in five working mothers struggle to find the childcare they need, with general secretary Frances O’Grady calling this a “childcare crisis” that could push women out of the workforce permanently.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, now a visiting professor at the Cranfield School of Management, has also claimed that the pandemic has stalled progress in addressing gender inequality, with women bearing the brunt of job losses, childcare challenges, home schooling and furlough over the past six months.

Change management opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more Change management jobs

Jo Faragher

Jo Faragher has been an employment and business journalist for 20 years. She regularly contributes to Personnel Today and writes features for a number of national business and membership magazines. Jo is also the author of 'Good Work, Great Technology', published in 2022 by Clink Street Publishing, charting the relationship between effective workplace technology and productive and happy employees. She won the Willis Towers Watson HR journalist of the year award in 2015 and has been highly commended twice.

previous post
Create ‘green’ jobs to boost productivity, urges CBI
next post
Arcadia agrees to pay furloughed staff full notice pay

You may also like

Fire and rehire: the relocation question

22 May 2025

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

UK net migration slashed by half in one...

22 May 2025

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

UK universities fret over fall in international students

22 May 2025

HSBC employees warned of office attendance link to...

22 May 2025

The Law Society: Navigating the new world of...

22 May 2025

Workplace stress: Why it’s time to rebrand resilience

22 May 2025

Restaurant tips should be included in holiday pay

21 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+