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Returning to Redmond? Exploring Equity i...

Kaufmann, Lauren, ...

Case

Returning to Redmond? Exploring Equity in Hybrid Work Environments at Microsoft

Kaufmann, Lauren; Mead, Jenny; King, Lucy

E-0497 | | 7 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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This public-sourced case is based on a series of decisions Microsoft and other US-based technology companies made between 2021 and 2022 related to hybrid and return-to-office work policies coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case focuses on the balance that must be struck between policies that enable employee flexibility in terms of choosing a work modality (based on factors such as productivity, physical health considerations, professional growth, and home care requirements, among others), while not disproportionately harming career prospects for historically marginalized groups who might prefer to work remotely (out of preference or necessity). Discussion could focus on topics such as distribution of care work, professional double standards for women, intersectionality, and other ethical considerations. At the Darden School of Business, this case is taught in first-year and second-year ethics electives. It would also be suitable in a module covering diversity, equity, and inclusion.

1. To consider the wider-reaching impacts of a remote- or hybrid-work policy, beyond factors of productivity; to open conversation about the impacts of in-person work on equity considerations; and to uncover the potential unforeseen externalities of a policy that does not account for different classes of employees due to face time and in-person engagement, on a voluntary or nonvoluntary basis. 2. To consider remote work preferences through an intersectional lens, in terms of both positive and negative impact; to discuss the benefits of remote work for marginalized communities and why a remote environment creates a new system to operate within (new ways of communicating, fewer identity abrasions, no physical space for employees to be responsible for); and to highlight the drawbacks of remote work for these same employees (flexibility stigma, disproportionate expectations for management of home care tasks, impact of lack of exposure to senior stakeholders in office). 3. To practice applying an intersectional lens to standard business decisions; to build familiarity and confidence in incorporating social equity considerations into leadership choices, and to explore the inherent interplay between people-focused decisions and business outcomes.