Sea breeze. Coffee. Laptop open.
And it got me thinking.
Remote working can be incredible -
For focus, creativity, balance.
But here’s the thing no one talks about:
Leaders are approving remote working requests haphazardly.
You let one person work from Dubai…
Another person from Brighton…
And the rest? They don’t know it’s even an option.
So what do they do?
They watch.
They compare.
They stay quiet.
They feel resentful.
This isn’t a debate about whether remote working works.
It’s a warning about how poor leadership and an absence of formal process makes it inequitable.
When you approve some requests in private DMs and reject others in formal meetings -
That’s not flexibility.
That’s hierarchy.
And here’s where gender equity risks creeps in quietly;
↳ The person most likely to ask first?
Confident, well-networked, often male.
↳ The person most likely to wait and “prove” themselves?
Often female.
↳ The person least likely to be granted flexibility?
The one with care responsibilities.
And you didn’t even realise you were doing it.
You're saying "yes" to all remote working requests for 'good culture' -
with no gender equity analysis or formal process in place and it's just inviting performance issues.
Then, guess what happens?
We get calls-
"Tina, how do I end the remote working policy, nobody seems to do any work unless in the office"
Here’s what I do for my clients instead:
✔︎ Create a remote and hybrid working policy – separate from flexible working law, with clear eligibility and limits.
✔︎ Run an equity check – which roles truly allow for this? Who’s always denied, and why? (we use our bespoke G.E.D (Gender Equity Diagnostic process)).
✔︎ Standardise the approval process – make it structured, transparent, and reviewable - so managers don’t make biased calls on the fly.
Remote working isn’t the problem.
Invisible privilege is.
⸻
👋🏽 𝗛𝗶, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁.
𝗜’𝗺 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗥 𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗼.
𝗪𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗥 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴.
𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗥-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲.
♻️ REPOST to help your network
Test your leadership style – are you a Labyrinth or a Leader?
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Join the waitlist for my People Pathway Blueprint, my plug & play tool for managing your staff from entry to exit, without risk or turbulence
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▶︎ Follow Tina S. Rahman for more HR and leadership mindset posts!
📣 Does your team’s remote working policy reduce bias—or rely on trust alone?
Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.
