The DIGITAL / HYBRID INCLUSIVITY module aims at make you think differently of the importance of how people feel, communicate, and connect with each other in the organisation, while working in a hybrid, remote or on-spot mode. There are an enormous number of digital tools and ideas that you can use to improve the sense of belonging of your people. We hope we will inspire you to go for them!

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www.prosper-project.eu
Understanding the
Digital Inclusivity
Module 3 / Unit 1

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Partners
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the
author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European
Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be
held responsible for them.
Post Pandemic Empowerment Programme © 2023 by Die Berater/
European E-Learning Institute/ BUPNET/ CATRO/ Momentum/ Smart
Revolution/ Eurotraining is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Introduction
The DIGITAL / HYBRID INCLUSIVITY module aims at make you think differently of the importance of
how people feel, communicate, and connect with each other in the organisation, while working
in a hybrid, remote or on-spot mode. There are an enormous number of digital tools and ideas
that you can use to improve the sense of belonging of your people. We hope we will inspire you
to go for them!
The main focus of Unit 1 is to introduce you to the main concepts of inclusivity in the workplace –
the traditional and the hybrid one, and to the differences, advantages, challenges, and
opportunities for managers and HR specialists towards upgrading and keeping alive the sense of
belonging to a team, organisation, goals, mission, and values.
We would like to introduce you to some good examples and ideas that you might adopt in your
organisations or to inspire you to develop your unique solutions, based on the needs of your people
and the business.

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Table of Contents
01
02
03
04
Which factors influence Digital/Hybrid Inclusivity?
What is Digital/Hybrid Inclusivity and how it is connected to traditional inclusivity?
What are the Risks related to Digital/Hybrid Non-Inclusivity?
Good examples
05
What is Inclusivity?
06 Self-Assessment
07 Transition to next unite

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KNOWLEDGE:
Learning Outcomes
The concept of inclusivity and non-exclusivity, before and after the pandemic and
changing the working model from the traditional to the hybrid one
SKILLS: To be able to differentiate the factors that influence the sense of belonging and to
understand their importance. To be able to spot risks and to understand managers’ and
HRs’ responsibilities and proper action courses.
BEHAVIOURS: To be willing to initiate processes of defining, monitor and improving the sense of
belonging within the organisation on all levels, in cooperation with employees and
managers
ATTITUDES: To be willing to invite all employees to be part of the processes of development of a new
inclusive culture, practices, and rituals. To understand managers’ roles and to be willing
to develop new skills, knowledge, and experience.

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What is inclusivity
and why does it
matter?
01

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According to Oxford Languages, inclusivity is “the
practice or policy of providing equal access to
opportunities and resources for people who might
otherwise be excluded or marginalised, such as
those having physical or intellectual disabilities or
belonging to other minority groups.”
When it comes to inclusivity in the workplace Forbes
gives us another aspect to add – “… it happens on a
daily basis, from onboarding to an employee’s last
day on the job.” From an invitation to a birthday
party of a colleague, different informal groups for
lunch, hobbies, and projects, to managers’ support,
feedback, appraisal, and bonuses. It can be
measured by … how you feel connected to your
workplace and the people around you… and to bring
your whole selves at work.”
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
What does “inclusivity” mean?
Based on a research by Coqual, the notion of
belonging can be distilled into the following:
● Being seen: when people feel they are
recognised, rewarded, and respected by their
colleagues.
● Being connected: when people have positive
and authentic social interactions with other
colleagues, managers, senior leaders.
● Being supported: by peers and leaders to get
their work done.
● Being proud: when people feel aligned with
their team and workplace purpose, vision, and
values.

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The possible positive and negative effect on the motivation and the sense of belonging of the employees of
having (or not) a balanced hybrid working environment and experience is easy to be explained by the Need
for belonging theory (Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R., 1995), which describes the relatedness needs as one
of the most important needs that people have. Satisfying it is equivalent to providing food and shelter for
survival.
Two are the aspects of relationships that must be fulfilled:
● people should have positive and pleasant rather than negative interactions with others
● and these interactions can NOT be casual, but rather must occur as part of stable, lasting relationships in
which people care about each other's long-term health and well-being. Which means inclusive culture!
Our self-concept also includes all those qualities that arise from our belonging to a group – friendships, social
and professional roles, and family relations. A person is not just an "I" but also a "we".
Groups also provide a variety of means of maintaining and enhancing a sense of self-worth and dignity, as our
assessment of the quality of the groups to which we belong affects our collective self-esteem ( Crocker &
Luhtanen, 1990).
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
The Sense of belonging - the strongest psychological motivator

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Psychology and neuroscience have discovered that a group is always smarter (performing better) than the smartest
person in the group. The sum total of the collective brainpower of a group of people who synergise and
collaborate, provide a level of agility and flexibility that is impossible to high performing individuals to achieve
alone. That’s why an inclusive working culture helps teams to be ~ 20% more innovative, to spot risk and to reduce
them up to ~30% faster and more efficiently.
A research of Deloitte says that organisations with inclusive cultures are:
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
The power inclusivity
2 x
as likely to meet or
exceed financial targets
3 x
as likely to be high-
performing
6 x
more likely to be
innovative and agile
8 x
more likely to achieve
better business outcomes
You can check also the video: How to be smarter and make better choices | Juliet Bourke | TEDxSouthBank

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The same research shows that people who work in
inclusive workplaces feel able to bring their
whole selves to work and are 42% less likely to
plan on leaving for another position within a
year. These people experience higher levels of
motivation, engagement and meaning in their
jobs. Which leads to a higher level of wellbeing
and higher business results.
Thus, companies need all three (inclusion, well-
being and engagement) to truly cultivate an
inclusive ecosystem at the workplace and to be
able to manage and develop it by enhancing
each one of them.
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
The power of inclusivity
And while a leader/ manager’s behaviour is
important to perceptions of inclusion at work,
the interactions between people are
paramount.
At its highest point, inclusion is
expressed as feeling confident
and inspired!
- Deloitte

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The other aspects of inclusivity are:
● fairness and respect
● people to feel valued and that they belong
● to feel safe and open to express themselves, to
have a voice and to be able to participate in the
decisions that impact their work
● to feel empowered and to be able to develop
● to have access to resources and support for
people to get the best of them
● to feel connected to a common cause
● to be able to learn, grow and develop, following
the trends in the market
● to work in a collaborative atmosphere and culture
● to practice inclusivity intentionally and to be
aware of its meaning and consequences.
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
The key aspects of inclusivity

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LinkedIn’s Inside the Mind of Today’s Candidate report reveals some concrete insights on what employees
say they need to feel like they belong.
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
The key aspects of inclusivity

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Findings from Deloitte Australia analyses, organised
among 4100 employees in 4 organisations, show
that the behaviour of managers, no matter their
level, influences the feeling of inclusivity up to
70%, which leads to:
● better team performance +17%
● decision-making quality + 20%
● collaboration + 29%.
1. What is inclusivity and why does it matter?
The key role of the managers
There are few significant characteristics that
distinguished highly-inclusive leaders from the
others:
● commitment
● courage
● cognisance of bias
● curiosity
● cultural intelligence
● collaboration
● energy and positive attitude.
Commitment Courage Cognisance
of bias
Curiosity Cultural
intelligence
Collaboration Energy and
positive attitude

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From startups to multinational corporations, each
inclusion strategy has something in common -
people participate in its definition and
implementation. It happens both ways - from
down to up and from up to down.
American Express believes an inclusive workplace
starts at the top. That’s why they have
mandatory inclusion training for leaders at the
VP level and above, where in small groups, they
discuss and brainstorm ways to foster inclusion
in the company.
The HR teams measure the impact by surveying
employees and convening focus groups.
Inspiring examples of inclusive workplace cultures
Avison Young has always been a people-first
organisation.
They launched a mentoring program using Together’s
platform to support their Emerging Leaders program
and Employee Resource Groups for Black
professionals, their Women’s Network and LGBTQ+
employees.
LinkedIn: One of the best ways to help build a more
inclusive workplace is to reward those doing just
that. LinkedIn started paying Employee Resource
Group leaders for their efforts, because “despite the
tremendous visibility and impact to the organisation,
this work is rarely rewarded financially. LinkedIn is
changing that.” ~ Teuila Hanson, LinkedIn Chief People
Officer

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Inspiring examples of inclusive workplace cultures
Merck & Co. Inc. enrolls leaders at all levels in
unconscious bias training that helps make
leaders aware that they can judge people based
on their gender, race, or other factors without
realising it. Doing so drives home the
importance of modelling inclusive behaviour.
A particularly unique project that Mastercard has executed
over the past few years involves getting older employees
in the company more active when it comes to social
media.
To address generational barriers, “YoPros” BRG (the Young
Professionals Business Resource Group) offers a one-on-
one ‘Social Media Reverse Mentoring’ program to older
employees who want to become familiarised with the
platforms.
Read more examples and find your inspiration: https://www.socialtalent.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion/9-companies-around-the-world-that-are-
embracing-diversity

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1. Do you have a dedicated policy for inclusivity in your company?
2. Does all levels (employees, team leads, mid-managers, high managers, stakeholders, CEOs) recognise their
responsibility about enhancing inclusivity in the workplace?
3. Do you include people from all levels in the process of defining the meaning and goals, and tuning the
activities towards better inclusivity?
4. Do you provide regular training for managers of all levels regarding the development of their understanding
of inclusivity in the workplace?
5. Do you provide training for employees to encourage them to be proactive towards inclusivity (and not
only)?
6. Do you support (time, money, presence of higher managers) employees’ groups of interests or important for
them projects?
7. Have you included Corporate social responsibility as part of the inclusivity activities?
1. Have you included the idea and practice of inclusivity at all stages of the employee life cycle?
2. Do you have benchmarks to measure the impact of all the activities in the company connected to
inclusivity?
3. Do you measure (often) the perception of inclusivity in the company, using different approaches -
interviews, focus groups, online anonymous surveys, etc.?
If you have at least 6 YES, you can be proud of all the efforts you have done. If not - we hope you will get enough
inspiration to do it ASAP! Keep reading >>
Self Reflection:
How far you have come in building the inclusive culture in
your company? Yes

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What is
digital/hybrid
inclusivity and why
it matters?
02

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The new hybrid working and living reality raises new
questions for organisations:
● what is inclusivity in the digital working
environment?
● what is inclusivity in the hybrid working
environment?
● how can we measure them?
● how can we monitor them?
● how can we develop them?
● how can we engage all the employees to take
part in the processes?
The bad news - you can’t find it in the classic books of
management. The good news - you can create your
unique way, together with your people. Isn’t that
what all of us wanted?
2. What is digital/hybrid inclusivity and why it matters?

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Let’s start with the question what is different for the
last few years regarding the sense of belonging
(inclusivity) in your organisation?
● we have exchanged a big part of real human
relations with virtual ones
● we have noticed that people accept it differently -
for some of them it is a positive change, but for
others - it is a negative one
● new phenomenon appeared like “zoom fatigue“
● if you ask the HR experts, managers, and even
psychologists, they all can have different
definitions and approaches towards this new
reality
● some people are working more than before, in
isolation and under more stress
● the mental health of people in general suffers
significantly (anxiety, panic attacks, depression
have raised)
people lack abilities to balance themselves properly and
recover after stressful situations.
2. What is digital/hybrid inclusivity and why it matters?
● and if understanding and ensuring the sense of
belonging within the organisation was more or
less a familiar concept for the managers before
COVID-19, the hybrid model of working &
living is still to be explored and understood,
with all its positive and negative impacts.
It means that the whole organisational ecosystem
should evolve to keep its participants connected
and healthy, all its elements - to be changed,
according to the business needs, people needs
and abilities, and technologies used.

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In a study by Cisco from April 27, 2022,
● 82% of employees said "the ability to work from
anywhere has made them happier"
● 60% felt that their productivity has enhanced
● 76% claimed to have saved money while WFH,
and on average, save up to US$8,000 a year
● 6 in 10 employees say productivity and quality of
work have improved
● Only 1 in 4 employees feel their organisation is
very prepared for hybrid working.
2. What is digital/hybrid inclusivity and why it matters?
How do employees see the hybrid reality in general?
Cisco Study:
Employees say hybrid work
makes them happier and more
productive, but more needs to
be done to make it more
inclusive!

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On the other hand, the managers must reflect on
what the Chief Learning Officer of Totara
Learning said:
“The shift to hybrid work demands
a rebalanced workplace culture and
new supporting technology.
Managers need to pay attention to this, as the
culture that worked well when everyone
operated from the office no longer exists for
many industries.”
And in a few years, the youngest generation will
not be familiar with it at all.
2. What is digital/hybrid inclusivity and why it matters?
How do managers see the hybrid reality?
Digital inclusivity makes sure the employer
provides the same culture, conditions and
opportunities for every employee in the
company no matter where they are working
from.
The employees must participate proactively and
be part of the processes of setting up this
new culture. The responsibility is mutual
more than ever.

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If organised correctly, the hybrid reality can bring
new benefits for the companies and the
employees that were not possible in the
traditional way of working.
The graphic based on the Gallup research last year
shows that the advantages for the employees are
numerous:
● improved work-life balance & well-being
● decreased stress and burnout
● better productivity and time management…
Improved Work-Life Balance
71%
More Efficient Use of Time
67%
Freedom to Choose when and where I
work
62%
Less Work Burnout Fatigue
58%
Higher Productivity
51%
2. What is digital/hybrid inclusivity and why it matters?
The positive aspects of inclusivity
Check the full research here.

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It may seem hard for people to integrate into the culture and processes of an organisation when there are
limited opportunities for physical, emotional and mental connection.
These are some of the challenges of the day for developing an inclusive working environment once you have
switched to a hybrid mode:
● Hiring, onboarding, and training the new hires - it just doesn’t work online only
● Workplace socialising - with whom, if everybody is at home
● Culture fit - how, if we don’t know each other
● Communication and access to information - so many channels and tools are used at the same time
● Distractions in different places (at home; the phones in people’s hands; working simultaneously, etc. – all
these are part of the hybrid working no matter whether we like it or not)
● Team events and team buildings
● Setting fair performance evaluation standards …
As you see the challenges to belonging affect productivity, wellbeing and sustainability simultaneously.
2. What is digital/hybrid inclusivity and why it matters?
The challenges of belonging in a remote and hybrid environment

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Good Examples - yes, there are!
Salesforce
0
3
● 3 options for employees,
decision making at the
individual level
Amazon
0
2
● Balanced between the office
and remote work, decision
making at the team level
Microsoft
0
1
● balanced between the office
and remote work, top-down
decision making
Gravity Payments
0
4
● complete freedom for
employees to choose between
remote, on-site, or hybrid
“None of us know the definitive
answers to these (hybrid work)
questions, especially long
term…we’re going to be in a
stage of experimenting,
learning, and adjusting for a
while as we emerge from this
pandemic.”
– Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon
You can read the whole stories at: https://www.officernd.com/blog/hybrid-work-model-examples/
Twitter
0
5
● working from the office, top-
down decision making

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What were the best and the worst experience of
yours during the different stages of the new
working reality for the last few years:
● totally remote working in the beginning?
● and after that within the hybrid working?
How did you overcome it?
What helped you the most?
Did your colleagues experience similar situations?
How did you support each other?
Is there something else that still needs to be
improved in your organisation to improve the
hybrid inclusivity and to keep the sense of
belonging of people high? What is it?
Self Reflection:

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Factors influencing
digital/hybrid
inclusivity
03

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According to a Global Human Capital Trends survey conducted by Deloitte there are several factors
influencing the digital inclusivity but three are the main influencing the ability of an organisation to
create a sense of belonging.
3. Factors influencing digital/hybrid inclusivity
Organisational Culture 43%
The system of values, beliefs, and behaviours that shapes how work
gets done within an organisation
Personal Relationships 24%
The quality of relationships among team members
Organisational Purpose 20%
Opportunity and Growth 15%
The Nature of Work 14%
Leadership Behaviors 33%
Reinforce organisational values of fairness, respect, and
psychological safety on teams and inspire workers to perform at
their best
What companies need to develop as an
internal culture:
● to recognise employees for their unique
efforts and accomplishments
● to acknowledge and appreciate
employee’s contributions in meetings
to make them feel valued
● to practice candor and give employees
opportunities to share their honest
opinions
● to encourage employees to bring their
whole selves to work to improve
retention and performance.
Check the report here: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/human-capital-trends/2020.html

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TECHNOLOGY
This is maybe the most important factor when it
comes to digital inclusivity in the hybrid reality.
Some factors like:
● having a strong internet connection
● having a good & comfortable device for remote
work
● having digital collaborative tools
might seem normal and employees could even take it
for granted. But employers should think and ensure
all the employees have access to those basic needs to
ensure proper hybrid work for their teams. Update of
the technical devices and software used at home and
in the office is also part of the main factors.
DIGITAL SKILLSET
It is true that even before the pandemic,
approximately 82% of jobs required digital
skills (DCMS 2019). Still, a huge percentage
of workers were unaware of how to use
basic digital communication tools (ex. Zoom,
Teams etc.) or were lacking basic technical
knowledge (ex. how to connect their PC at
home, how to fix Internet issues etc.).
Working in a hybrid environment now requires
more than just basic technical skills.
3. Factors influencing digital/hybrid inclusivity
In the context of the hybrid reality there are additional factors impacting the sense of belonging to the
team or the company. Taking them into consideration will ensure a proper implementation of an
inclusive culture and enhancing the sense of belonging.

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TECHNICAL SUPPORT
The need for a dedicated technical support team for troubleshooting technical issues is crucial in the hybrid
work environment to ensure that communication and workload are going smoothly.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The “place” at home or in the office should be comfortable enough to be productive at work. The employer
in collaboration with the employee should make sure that every employee has a calm, comfortable work
environment – no distractions from family members, pets, or neighbours at home as well as a
comfortable chair, desk, and enough natural light at the office or home.
PROPER TRAINING
The managers and leaders must be masters in digital communication using several tools upon needs. And
those people can only be masters if they are trained to be so. Once they have the power of knowledge
and the tool in their hand, they can educate their teams and behave way more adequately in the digital
hybrid reality. In this case, having a situation where a hybrid team meeting is not productive because
someone can’t join or can’t turn on a microphone is reduced to a minimum.
3. Factors influencing digital/hybrid inclusivity

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WORK CULTURE
The hybrid environment requires a new approach to
the culture within the company. Engaging your teams
in creating such a culture and making every person
advocate for these behaviours ensures a sustainable
feeling of belonging.
The culture includes communication within the
organisation, organisational structure, team
dynamics and activities, leadership, team and
personal goals, performance evaluation,
development, work schedule, team meeting rules,
care for people’s mental and physical health, SCR,
and personal and professional development.
The culture defines you as a company, as a team. It is
the employer’s brand and a way to attract and retain
your people. It’s the culture that makes you unique
and shows the world who you are.
3. Factors influencing digital/hybrid inclusivity

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ORGANISATIONAL FLEXIBILITY
Try new things, testing what works best for
your company and team, assessing and
adjusting is the key to finding what is
needed. Even though you think you found
the best formula for hybrid work,
technologies change and needs change so
constant flexibility and agility are mandatory
to survive and ensure a good work
environment for your team.
MANAGEMENT OF MULTICULTURAL TEAMS IN
HYBRID ENVIRONMENT
Establishing a culture of understanding,
acknowledgement, respect for the cultural
differences to make everyone feel welcome,
appreciated and valued is important.
Established CULTURE OF INVOLVEMENT and
development can be beneficial to the digital
inclusivity of the employees if the people’ voice is
heard. Education on how to take advantage of
hybrid health & well-being opportunities is
important to be implemented.
3. Factors influencing digital/hybrid inclusivity

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Good Practices & Examples
Cisco example of different time zone inclusivity:
“I frequently work with people on the East Coast of the
US who are having meetings at 2 am my time. While
we have a recording of that meeting, I don’t need to
hear the whole thing, if I choose not to. I just need
the snippets relevant to me. I can now search
keywords and the technology takes me to each place
within the meeting, where that topic was
discussed… I can also see other areas of the meeting
that were considered important to the meeting host,
during that meeting.
Additionally, I can also raise questions after the fact,
too. This technology means, I can manage my time
investments as I consider appropriate and I am not
having to crumble my work time boundaries to be
an active participant in a global team while
remaining an active member.”
Grammarly
On the other hand, the survey of Grammarliens
showed that people like and appreciate working
from home and at the same time miss the advantage
of meeting and working on-side. This is the reason
why Grammarly decided to implement a remote-
first hybrid model.
This means that team members can work from home
mainly but the model includes essential time for
face-to-face collaboration among teams each
quarter—such as for strategic planning, project kick-
offs, brainstorms, and retrospectives.
It also integrates a smooth flow of real-time
communication by having each team’s members
operate within three time zones of one another, to
facilitate at least six hours of overlap each day. This
type of working model transforms the office from a
“place” to a “hub” where people can collaborate,
connect, and gather together.

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1. Dedicated technical support team available for the employees all the time
2. Zoom/ Teams/ Slack regular training
3. Training on Digital collaborative tools - Google, Microsoft, other systems
4. Refresher training on digital & technical skills
5. Conference room with a microphone, 360 camera
6. Professional microphones and camera for people working from home
7. Hybrid team meeting rules (like number per meetings per day; cameras on; the length; preparation etc. )
8. Regular evaluation of the current hybrid processes and adjustment to needs
9. Regular pulse survey (for example, every day, every month, or 6 months)
10. New rules for team building processes
11. New rules for working
12. New events for gathering people together and allowing them to communicate freely on different subjects
Self Reflection on readiness for inclusive hybrid
environment in your organisation:

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10 - 12 - you are doing great! Share your experience with other companies and managers!
7 - 9 - you’re doing very good! You can think of checking up on what can be added for an even greater
employee experience!
6 and less - not bad but think of ways to include more practice in your work.
YOUR RESULTS

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Risks &
consequences of
hybrid non-
inclusivity
04

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Let’s take a look at a terminology that we didn’t discuss so
far. “Work exclusion” is not something new but in the
age of disruptive change that creates a world of
volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity leaders
must pay extra attention to how each person in the
team feels.
Work exclusion refers to a person who does not feel
welcome, or safe at the workplace. This is a situation
that was not very popular but nowadays when we live in
a hybrid reality certain behaviours enable exclusion.
“We’ve been taught that ignoring someone is socially
preferable – if you don’t have something nice to say,
don’t say anything at all. But ostracism actually leads
people to feel more helpless, like they’re not worthy of
any attention at all.”
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
What is Work Exclusion?
It’s true that in this hybrid reality it’s hard for leaders
to identify someone’s feelings and intentions. So their
role as leaders is even more important to identify the
needs and unspoken fears in the team.

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According to the UK’s Advisory, Conciliation and
Arbitration Service (ACAS) the cost for the business if
there’s a lack of inclusivity is:
● Loss of morale and poor employee relations
● A loss of respect for managers and supervisors
● Decreased performance
● Lost productivity
● Regular absence
● Frequent resignations
● Long-term damage to the company reputation
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
Here comes the power of the leader in the
organisation that can influence and prevent this
isolation or exclusion to happen.

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Alongside the possible benefits, the risks of poorly
organised hybrid systems should not be overlooked.
Working in a hybrid reality makes the employees feel less
connected and more stressed. That’s why it is critical for
companies to build a culture and understanding of how
the hybrid workplace functions and how the teams
perform together well.
Some psychological research shows that the lack of real
social contact affects employees by increasing the level
of stress, decreasing the sense of connection with
others, worse perception of success and effectiveness,
and decreasing motivation.
A Gallup research conducted June 13-23 2022 shows some
of the challenges of the hybrid working model, which are
ranked by the most common responses:
Less access to work equipment and resources
35%
Feel less connected to organisation’s culture
32%
Decreased team collaboration
30%
Impaired relationship with coworkers
24%
Reduced cross-functional
communication and collaboration
23%
Disrupted processes
22%
Difficult to coordinate
21%
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
The effects of exclusion

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A sense of belonging to a group helps people meet their instrumental, interpersonal, and identity needs. So
they have a better quality of life and live longer when they feel part of a supportive, caring relationship.
However, when people are excluded from groups or their relationships fall apart, they experience a variety of
negative emotions that we have seen in abundance in recent years:
● Anxiety
● Panic attacks
● Depression and sadness
● Jealousy that someone will/or have taken away something that one has and does not want to lose (a
special, meaningful relationship for us)
● Dissatisfaction with the lack of meaningful enough relationships
● Loneliness, but not as a lack of social contact. A person can have numerous interactions throughout the
day and still feel lonely.
All these topics are new for the business and there is not one approach to be recommended.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity

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Managers could sometimes not consciously make
decisions based on their familiarity with
employees and not on objective criteria. Some of
the common examples of proximity bias are:
● Managers assume remote employees work
less since you can not see them working.
● On the other hand, employees working from
home believe they work more than before
since it’s difficult to make a difference and set
boundaries between home and work. They
tend to combine work tasks with home tasks
like washing the dishes, taking care of kids or
relatives etc.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
Common mistakes: Proximity Bias
● Communication policies - organising an
important meeting in the office so you can
better communicate with colleagues on the
spot might look like discrimination against the
ones working remotely. People in the office
prefer to hold a meeting in the office. This is
fine unless there is no culture of hybrid
meetings or poor management of hybrid
meetings. According to the International
Meetings Statistics Report, 39% of meeting
attendees admitted to dozing off in the middle
of a meeting.

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● Not encouraging remote employees to share
their opinion. An interesting statistic was
published by Deloitte based on a sample of
more than 14,000 professionals. People aren’t
listening to each other during online meetings
(56% of introverts would be discouraged versus
48% of extroverts).
In the hybrid reality, managers should take into
consideration that people working from the office
are mostly extroverts and those working from
home are introverts. So make sure you encourage
everyone to share their opinion.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
More in person More virtual
In general I prefer to work
Extroverts
Introverts

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Unhappy, disengaged employees transform into
poor relationships with colleagues or
customers, bad ambassadors and even could
leave the company. Therefore the hybrid
culture will struggle because of the well-
being of the employees. The remote
employees might feel neglected and alone,
compared to the ones that are in the office.
It’s the manager's responsibility to ensure
equal smooth communication with
employees both on-site and online.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
Common mistakes: Disbalanced Wellbeing
Another aspect of this well-being risk is the fact
that employees have never faced the need to
combine home tasks and work tasks before. It's
hard to set boundaries on where domestic
duties end and work responsibilities begin, or
how to work so we don't mix the two.
These new situations lead to uncertainty, tension
and stress among employees.
You can read more about how hybrid working
affects wellbeing in Module 2.

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The table is a great example of
how remote work reflects on
the employees.
Social isolation (86% of the time)
is evident and it’s the
managers’ responsibility to
ensure digital inclusivity and
prevent the negative effects on
the mental and physical health
of their teams.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
How hybrid workers spend most of their time while working from home
Which of the following activities do you focus on most while working remotely from home?
Read the whole article here.

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Common mistakes: Non-homogenous
hybrid experience
Some research showed that
● 70% of remote employees said that it is difficult
to participate in a conversation on a video call.
72% of them find it tough to identify who is
speaking,
● while 62% say the whiteboard being used in the
discussion is not visible.
This is just a simple example of how different the
experience could be even for 2 employees joining a
meeting online. Another example of a non-
homogenous hybrid experience is the opportunity
to spend more time and have informal talks with
the leaders if you’re working from the office or take
advantage to be the first one to take on an
interesting task or project.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity
Common mistakes: Internal and not
communicated conflicts
Online environment makes it harder to
communicate in general and when it comes to
conflict, communication at distance makes it so
much easier to remain the conflict unresolved,
hide your thoughts and emotions.
Creating a safe zone, without judgment,
psychologically safe is crucial to ensure an open
communication takes place. Having a healthy
conflict is important for building a healthy team.
Employees should feel comfortable with such
conversations and also feel the support from their
managers in this context.

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Common mistakes: Inconsistent Decision-making process
Having half of the team working on-site and the other - online is something most of the managers never
faced before and so a new guideline and procedure to follow when making a decision is required.
Otherwise, there is a risk of neglecting someone, not communicating with everyone involved or solo
decision-making.
Common mistakes: Different time zones
Working in a team located in different time zones before was possible mainly thanks to the emails.
Nowadays it’s possible and more efficient to meet the team virtually. Make sure everyone feels
comfortable with the selected date and time for the meeting, so everyone feels respected and valued.
Common mistakes: Work Cannibalisation
A colleague working from the office can take advantage of the situation and choose first the best project or
tasks. Another situation is when the team leader takes the credit or poaches a junior member's work. Or
the situation where the collaboration on a common project is not working well and team members are
swiping the tasks between each other.
4. Risks & consequences of hybrid non-inclusivity

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In the hybrid reality, ensuring digital inclusivity
is a key step to ensuring productivity and
well-being within your organisation.
Establishing a strong culture and building a
solid policy around the main factors
influencing inclusivity makes a company a
role model in this new hybrid reality.
Building and maintaining all this is not an easy
process and the managers must be aware of
all the risks coming with a non-hybrid
environment such as conflicts, divergent
work experience, bias etc. There are already
some good examples that could inspire you
as a manager to upgrade or create the best
reality, the best hybrid culture that works for
your business.
SUMMARY OF UNIT 1

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We offer you a short questionnaire for self-
assessment of the extent to which you
have understood the content.
The goal is to check and reinforce what you
have learned.
You can take the quiz as many times as you
want. Remember, the quiz is just part of
the process of learning new things!
SELF-ASSESSMENT
QUESTIONNAIRE

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Question 1: Inclusivity in the workplace
means:
• What happens daily, from onboarding to an
employee's last day on the job?
• how you feel connected to your workplace
• how you feel connected to colleagues
• to feel confident and empowered
• to feel you are able to develop
• all the above
Question 2: Organizations with inclusive
culture are more likely to:
• meet or exceed their financial targets
• be high-performing
• be innovative and agile
• achieve better business outcomes
• have less turnover
• all the above
• none of the above

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Question 3: The aspects of inclusivity are:
• fairness, respect, people being valued and
develop
• people to be able to express freely their
opinions
• to have down-up communication and
decision-making
• to have snacks and fruits in the office
• to have additional days off and social
benefits
Question 4: Why digital/hybrid inclusivity
matters:
• we have exchanged a great part of the
traditional working models with virtual
ones
• people are missing connection with others
and tend to overwork
• working from home means less
productivity because of the domestic tasks
and responsibilities
• zoom meetings are better and more
efficient than the present meetings
• people take care better if they work from
home

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Question 5: The behaviour of managers, no
matter their level, influence the feeling of
inclusivity up to:
• 70%
• 25%
• 68%
• Not at all
Question 6: The positive aspects of
inclusivity are:
• Better work-life balance
• More efficient use of time
• Less burnout and fatigue
• Less productivity
• Decreased collaboration

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● 6 Top Challenges of a Hybrid Workplace and
How to Overcome Them,
https://krisp.ai/blog/challenges-of-hybrid-
workplace/
● Video: The Impact of Hybrid Work on
Organizational Connection & Culture -
Gallup,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBnV9i
ND6pI
● Video: What Diversity & Inclusion is REALLY
About | Simon Sinek,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XisFCRr
QivU
The biggest issue with diversity is that the
word was introduced… and not explained.
- Dave Whittaker
Watch, Listen, Read

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● Employees Share What Gives Them a Sense of Belonging at Work,
https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-engagement/employees-
share-what-gives-them-sense-of-belonging-at-work
● How do we create a sense of belonging in the hybrid workplace?
https://www.hargraves.com.au/a-sense-of-belonging-in-the-hybrid-workplace/
● How to support Digital inclusion in hybrid workplaces?
https://www.studiodb.co.nz/news/how-to-support-digital-inclusion-in-hybrid-
workplaces
● Hybrid Work Culture: How managers can build and sustain it
https://www.showup.io/blog/how-can-managers-build-and-sustain-a-hybrid-
work-culture/
● The advantages and challenges of hybrid work -
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398135/advantages-challenges-hybrid-
work.aspx
References

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● The Future of Work at Grammarly
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/remote-first-hybrid-work-model/?
● What employees say about the future of remote work -
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-
performance/our-insights/what-employees-are-saying-about-the-future-of-
remote-work
● What is Digital Inclusion? https://thecenterfordigitalequity.org/what-is-
digital-inclusion/
● All images used in this Unit are CANVA based.
References

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Hybrid work doesn’t happen by
chance, and you need to be
intentional, proactive, and
thoughtful to make it work
properly. It’s not easy but is doable
and the outcomes can be massive!
Miroslav Miroslavov, CEO and Co-
founder, OfficeRnD
https://www.officernd.com/blog/h
ybrid-work-quotes/

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The next Unit 2 - Measuring digital
inclusivity - we will introduce you
to some concepts and methods
how to organize this process to
be effective and to engage people
to participate in it.
You will understand the role of the
sense of belonging in the
employee life cycle in the
organization.
And we hope you would like to
practice it in your company!
TRANSITION TO THE
NEXT UNIT

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Thank you for learning with
us!
www.prosper-project.eu
You can find us:
● https://prosper-project.eu/
● https://www.facebook.com/Workplace.SMEs.EU
● https://www.linkedin.com/company/workplace-smes/