As a female Managing Director of a large business, I’ve definitely felt some negative side effects of hybrid working. I enjoy walking around the office and chatting with my colleagues, getting to know them personally. I also missed the social side of working with other businesses, the networking, and events we attended as a business during the day and after work.

However, our company is made up of 46.5% females and I do recognise that not everyone feels the same way as me, and some of our employees continue to need to benefit from hybrid working and we will continue to support this, where possible.

During periods of lockdown, we acknowledged that parents and in particular single Mums, were trying to work and home school their children.  These women may have been feeling isolated and anxious and we worked hard to ensure they were offered as much flexibility as possible, along with support for their mental health. We have a really strong team of Mental Health First Aiders who were available to listen and support our teams whenever they were needed.

Many women have missed the female bond they have with their colleagues and the social side of working, and we really tried to keep that engagement, with virtual ‘tea break’ meetings, book and film clubs, yoga classes, quizzes and online team socials to bring their friends and colleagues into their homes during times of hybrid working.

Looking ahead, an ongoing hybrid working environment for women remains an option to offer flexibility, and ensures we are upholding our promise to be diverse and inclusive to all. More recently we have formed a team which focuses on the challenges of menopause and periods, providing both educational and emotional guidance for anyone who needs it, both in person and online.

We continue to provide virtual engagement, such as online comedy nights, to ensure people who work from home remain connected with the business and their colleagues. Where we have started to hold ‘in-person’ meetings and social events we try to encourage, with no pressure, everyone to attend to help to continue to build a strong team bond and keep the connection alive for hybrid workers.