. The general lack of diversity in tech makes this worse. Often going into an office regularly means dealing with physical microaggressions — for example, co-workers touching a Black person’s hair — that simply don’t happen around other Black people or, more saliently, in one’s own home.
Finding creative ways to remotely build cohesive teams that respect one another without forcing any employees, but specifically, minority folks to do excessive in-person work helps employees focus on the work they are doing for the company rather than the work they need to do to protect themselves in the workplace. This will lead to greater productivity and job satisfaction overall.
From standing desks to vertical mice, people have a variety of physical needs to ensure their health, comfort, and productivity. Some people can only work in silence, others only with music. There are many neurodivergent folks for whom open-office plans common in tech companies are untenable, and others who find the white noise of cafes or libraries perfect for getting hours of work done.