2 October

Building Inclusive Hybrid Workplaces Together

On Thursday 25 September, our Power of Inclusion programme brought together individuals from businesses across the City to explore how we can create inclusive hybrid working models.

Our Chair, Jackie Boylan, Global Head of Investor Servicing at Fidelity International introduced the session emphasising the importance of discussing hybrid working as part of this series. The Lady Mayoress, Florence King, then shared her reflections on how ambition must translate into meaningful action if we are to build a community committed to inclusion.

Setting the scene, Nikki Squelch, Deputy CEO at City HR, shared findings from City HR’s latest annual benchmarking survey across the financial services sector. The results showed that mandating three days in the office remains the most common approach, although 21% of respondents did not answer this question and many noted that policies vary by role. Strikingly, less than 1% of firms require employees to be in the office every day, underlining that hybrid working is here to stay.

The panel discussion, expertly chaired by Jackie Boylan, then explored how hybrid models can foster inclusion when designed thoughtfully. Panellists included Nikki Squelch, Edina Da’Silva, Founder of NeuroSpecial, Kali Gladdish, an early career professional in financial services, and Scott Johnson, Co-founder of Exceliton Consulting and Founder of Veteran Owned UK. Together they brought perspectives spanning HR policy, neurodiversity, leadership, and early-career experiences, offering a rich discussion on both the opportunities and challenges of hybrid work.

Top Takeaways:

1. The Role of Senior Leaders is Critical. “Hybrid working is different for each person,” noted Scott. His key message is that an inclusive culture comes down to strong leadership. Leaders need to ensure there are regular conversations across the team about what works for each individual. From coffee mornings to regular check-ins, leaders are also key to fostering connection.
2. Policies Must Be Clear. “HR professionals can be stuck in the middle,” explained Nikki. Communicating the “why” behind policies helps employees feel supported and understood. She encouraged businesses to create a good framework or policy about what would work well for the business and make sure the communication behind that is clear to ensure awareness of policies is strong.
3. Neurodiversity Must Be Part of the Conversation. As awareness and testing improve, more people are being diagnosed. Edina shared that “Adaptations are necessary for some, but the benefits are for all.” Hybrid models also need to recognise the added challenges of socioeconomic barriers to home working environments that support productivity.
4. Listening to Employees Matters. Staff surveys are valuable, but ongoing conversations are just as important, and we must empower managers to have these discussions. “If people don’t feel seen, heard, valued and supported, then they don’t necessarily bring their best selves to work,” noted Edina.
5. Communication Builds Connection. “Learning how to communicate myself virtually was important in starting my career,” said Kali. Initiatives such as “coffee roulettes” and pre-scheduled introductory meetings with her new team supported her in building networks across a hybrid and international workforce.

The discussion reinforced that hybrid working can drive inclusion when organisations are intentional about culture, communication, and leadership. As our panellists highlighted, creating inclusive hybrid workplaces requires active steps: clear policies, strong leadership, and a commitment to listening. Together, we can build workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.