Remote work could hurt women more than we think, by launching a key in their career progress, said the leader of Nationwide, one of the main banks in the United Kingdom and the largest construction society in the world.
Debbie Crosbie, which has been CEO since June 2022 and dismantled the “work policy on work” of Nationwide at the end of 2023, thinks that the presence in office is the key to career progression, especially for women.
“We find, certainly nationally … that men are more likely to come to the office than women,” Crosbia told BBC Radio 4 Today program in December. “Be seen then seeing other leaders is a really important element of development.”
Crosbia’s approach differs from that of his predecessor, Joe Garner, who has strongly pleaded for flexible work by deploying a working policy 100% compared to the world. He quoted Advantages of productivity and access to talents as reasons why the move in 2021.
But a year ago, Crosbie replaced this with a minimum of two days in office for full -time employees. In an elevation From March 2023She argued that remote and flexible work could limit the opportunities to cultivate future leaders.
“Several women at the national level now tell me about how they feel energetic once they are back in a routine with the time of the office to focus without interruption on their role and their career development,” said Crosbia in OP-ED published by The independent. “At the start of my career, being in, around and among the great leaders was essential.”
Some workplace experts have shared Crosbia’s concerns, fearing that remote work will be confused with absenteeism. And as women, people of color and disabled people are more likely to opt for a distance work, it could inevitably harm Their careers The most. In such situations, remote work could also have an impact on self -confidence and morale of female employees, Paper from the University of Durham find.
A repression at work distance has spread to a large part of the financial industry until 2023 and 2024, forcing staff to enter the offices more. The Spanish Bank Santander, for example, boasted that “flexibility is there to stay” at some point, its British boss even claiming that the disorderly presence was not critical. But Santander has since announced a 12 -day derivation policy a month.
According to the strict RTO mandate, employees tended to repel. Take the British Bank Starling, for example: the group brought its staff to the office for at least 10 days a month in November. But its offices did not have enough room to accommodate employees, triggering a furious reaction from them.
The verdict on the efficiency of remote work and if it is good in the long term is divided. Some companies have sworn with her, and for many women, flexible work options have unlocked opportunities that did not exist before. There are clear advantages to flexibility, which is why the United Kingdom has made workers ask for it from the first day of their employment.
Nationwide is a leader in the number of employees he has in the United Kingdom – on 60%To be precise. It’s higher than HSBC 51% And Barclays 45%.
“We are committed to working flexible to help get the most out of our employees and offer a range of solutions such as part-time hours or job sharing,” said a national spokesperson Fortune.
Crosbia argued that office work could be essential for Nationwide employees, and that companies are responsible for supporting them and adapting to their childcare responsibilities if necessary.
“We just have to be careful not to inadvertently prevent women from seizing some of the opportunities by not being part of the office when they believe that this is beneficial both to their skills and to contribute to the company,” said CROSBIE.
A version of this story was initially published on Fortune.com January 2, 2025.
This story was initially presented on Fortune.com
