Remote work and Diversity: More than just an opportunity to work in your slippers

Due to COVID-19, many companies all over the world have been forced to switch, at least temporarily, to a remote model. This forced transition has allowed many companies that otherwise may never have tested this model to experience all the advantages it can bring. At Ergeon, where we’ve operated as an international, all-remote company from the start, our staff loves the reduction of non-essential meetings, the fewer in-office distractions, and the time gained from lack of commute. But throughout the years, we’ve seen that the benefits of a remote model extend beyond this and believe that remote work is the frontier for increasing diversity, inclusion, and belonging at work.

It’s no secret that diverse, heterogeneous companies form better ideas, teams, and decisions. Diverse groups increase the number of perspectives that address a situation or problem and this increase in variance can spur innovation. At Ergeon, our diverse teams have sharpened our ability to meet an ever-increasing range of customer needs and to build a culture of adaptation and belonging.

Remote work and diversity go hand-in-hand because the remote model enables many people who would be unable to participate in a traditional office environment to join the workforce. While the global pandemic has been a strong push factor towards remote work, I hope that the opportunities for diversity and inclusion can be an even stronger reason to embrace remote teams.

Here are some of the ways we’ve seen our remote model foster diversity:

Accessibility

Traveling to an office every day is more than an inconvenience for many people who have medical conditions or caretaking responsibilities. For some, it can be risky, time draining, or downright impossible. When working from home, one can adapt their home environment to meet whatever needs or responsibilities one may have.

Remote positions create distributed opportunities and give companies access to broader talent pools. Clearly, this creates natural diversity because talent can come from any location, but diversity can come in so many forms. You are also diversifying your workforce when you include those with parental or caretaking responsibilities, immigration restrictions, and other obstacles keeping them from traditional office environments. The power an employer has to positively impact peoples’ lives through job opportunities can’t be overstated.

The all-remote staff at Ergeon has been generous with sharing their diverse stories about the effect remote work has had on their lives and the opportunities it continues to provide. Our company is internationally remote with racial, ethnic, gender, and cultural diversity from the Caribbean to Africa, with staff from all backgrounds and walks of life. These stories drive our culture, and why we operate the way we do. Here are just a few of their stories, which demonstrate the inclusive power of a remote staff model.

Supporting Parents

One of our Senior Designers in Venezuela, Jimmie, adores being near his infant daughter all day. “I am able to work in the house and watch out for her. I don’t have the pressure to send her to daycare… the most fun part is when she is a baby, and I won’t miss it.”

The time gained can be significant in some countries, like Guatemala where gridlock can add hours to your commute. Our Senior Sales Manager, Jose admits, “If I were to find a similar job here [Guatemala], it would take me away from home close to 16 hours a day, even maybe a bit more” including up to a two-hour commute each way. In a previous job, Jose even slept under his desk several times because he saved more time staying at the office than commuting home in traffic and returning the next morning. When working from home, Jose doesn’t waste any time getting back to his family.

“Having the peace of mind that I am just a few door-knocks away, there is nothing that compares to it.”

Our recruiter, Lynette, was in a tough situation when she moved to the US from the Philippines and her husband was immediately requested for military deployment for 7 months. She was left with few options in a new country with no child care, a spouse away from home, and no work. For Lynette, the added flexibility allowed her to support her daughter’s adjustment to a new country, and also financially bridge the gap when, later on, her husband was looking for a new job.

Around the world, parents experience significant tension between providing for their family and being present for their children. Remote work can provide an opportunity for talented individuals to continue working while parenting, and the flexibility and time saved by removing commutes and office buildings can be life-changing for families.

Employing Migrants and Refugees

Leaving your home country can be incredibly difficult for many reasons, but when your professional career is tied to location, it can be devastating. Often, an individual’s high-level skills and abilities are not recognized by other countries because he or she does not have the necessary license or credentials. This, unfortunately, can create situations where doctors are working as laborers and architects are working as cleaning staff.

Our Project Manager Team Lead, Carmen, was forced out of Venezuela’s job market because the national government devalued her academic architect position. Recognizing the gravity of her situation, Carmen picked up some part-time remote work, which quickly became 70% of her income. When she moved to the US, “I just continued doing what I was doing [remotely] and it made it so much easier because at least I was not out of my environment completely.” Carmen describes, “It is hard mentally as an immigrant to have to do something different. . . and start from scratch, and for less than where you lived before. My husband used to have a recording studio in Venezuela, and when he started here [in the US] he was a landscaper. This [job] helped me go through that stage, and not be distressed.” Remote work allows highly skilled workers to contribute and grow regardless of location. Carmen has been promoted six times since she started working remotely in part due to her unique combined skill set of architecture and education. Without a remote option, Carmen’s amazing contribution and viewpoint could have been lost and pushed out of the workforce entirely.

Similarly, Andrea, a senior-level member of our Estimation Team currently living in Costa Rica, could not return to Nicaragua after she completed her Master’s degree. Remote work gave her employment opportunities when no other options existed, as the socio-political crisis in her home country made it impossible to find work in her area of expertise. “It was unsafe and there was no work for me. I am an architect and there was no work in my field since there was no construction. It was not safe at all.” If people have opportunities in their field that aren’t constrained by location, they won’t be forced into desperate decisions, weighing safety and well-being against doing what they love and what they’ve spent so long training to master.

Including Caregivers

Illness can devastate a family and make it impossible for people to work away from home while caring for a sick loved one.

Such was the case for Eduardo, on our Sales Team. He and his wife used to work in San Salvador, with great jobs at established companies. Shortly after they had their first child, Eduardo remembers, “We were at the supermarket. . . in line waiting to pay and our girl was four months old, and my wife started seizing and fell to the ground. I didn’t know what was happening and I had never seen anything like this in my life.” Eduardo and his wife had to leave the bustling city to remove stressors from her environment and also to have access to his parents’ support. Outside of the capital, there were very few opportunities for him to support his family and pay for medication. That is until Eduardo found a new kind of opportunity. “Working remotely is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me because I am home, I am able to take care of my daughters and my wife, able to pay for her meds. Things have changed dramatically.”

Providing opportunities to work remotely builds strong loyalty and a sense of belonging in return for sometimes literally saving people’s lives or the lives of loved ones. Eduardo describes this feeling,

“It’s not the loyalty that you get from the paycheck. You get people who love your culture, who value the other people who are with you and that is really what makes Ergeon what it is. I never feel alone, even though I have my own space to work. You can help the ones you love, and still do great things, and build your dreams and support your family.”

Fostering Entrepreneurship

Remote work is uniquely positioned to allow staff to pursue other passions, whether due to increased availability, financial resources, or time flexibility. One of our customer service representatives in Pakistan, Wali, did just that. When his company moved, Wali decided to look for a job where he could work from home and still keep some focus on his own business. Learning things along the way, Wali describes how Ergeon helped him “set up my people remotely as well, so now they all work from home. . . these are the practices that I learned from Ergeon.” In a unique exchange of ideas, Wali also brought inspiration from his own company to Ergeon by facilitating a remote watercooler of sorts. “I created a [virtual] meeting. . . with a link you can join at any time, that gives you the environment of an office.” This initiative continues to create strong relationships and a sense of belonging in Wali’s department.

Not every company or position can facilitate this flexibility, but this allowance can attract entrepreneurial types and those pursuing other projects to still contribute to the diversity and variety in a team.

For many people, the remote model has provided so much more than just “a job”. We, at Ergeon, believe in the power of this flexibility and the disbursement of opportunity. A remote model allows your employees to thrive in all aspects of their life. It offers economic opportunities that may not be available in their region, the flexibility needed to give their families and passions the attention they deserve. Those living in places where their sexual orientation or gender are not celebrated in the workplace, also have the opportunity to bring their whole selves to work. Beyond these other advantages, the opportunities remote work provides may be a significant driving factor in creating a more fair and equitable work landscape for everyone. Eduardo reflects, “I think that a lot of us out there have similar stories, and it’s nice to know because I think that also gives strength to the whole team.”

To other employers, if you want to change the world and make it a fairer place, this is it.