I recently interviewed several people who are beginning coaching relationships with me in the fall. What has surfaced is the focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion on a personal level. Our thinking has broadened. Our needs have become more grounded in inclusionary considerations such as setting the stage for inclusion before meetings, managing unconscious biases, ensuring everyone has a voice and taking into consideration individual needs.

Case in Point: I recently spoke with an executive of an affordable housing development company in New York who has an employee who has not received the Covid vaccination. The company wants employees back in the office and yet, this particular executive is uncomfortable having the non-vaccinated employee engaging with others in person at work. As a result he shared, “It’s causing us as a company to revisit the policy affecting everyone. So that we aren’t singling (the employee) out.” Here is an example of a company learning to manage people by considering a circumstance that may prove ideal as a hybrid workaround.

A leader of a hybrid team will want to be especially mindful of biases. When one of the employees works at home and another in the office, it is natural to reach out to the person in the office; yet the proper effective action would be to treat each employee as though they were sitting in front of you. Your success is to make sure no one is overlooked for any reason – age, gender, location, looks, affinity, and based on past experiences.