When the World Shows Up at Work

One of the reasons I have always enjoyed employment law is that it never stays still. The issues we are discussing today are often very different from the ones we were discussing five years ago (or even five months ago). That’s because as society changes, workplaces are often expected to follow suit.

In my recent post, The Last Place We Gather, I wrote about community and the fact that many of the places where people once found belonging have become less central in our lives. As those institutions have weakened, expectations of workplaces have expanded. At the same time, workplaces are increasingly being asked to respond to issues that originate well beyond their four walls.

Consider diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. A few years ago, many organizations were encouraged, and in some cases pressured, to develop DEI strategies, review policies, invest in training, and make public commitments. Today, some of those same initiatives are being questioned, revised, or scaled back.

Remote work also reflects a societal shift. During the pandemic, remote work became a requirement. But what followed was more significant than a temporary operational change. For many employees, it reshaped expectations about where work should be performed, and the role of flexibility in employment. Employers continue to navigate competing views about productivity, collaboration, and culture while also trying to ensure their organizations run effectively. In many workplaces, the debate is no longer about whether flexibility matters, but about how to balance flexibility with the operational realities of running a business.

Both examples illustrate a broader reality: changes taking place in society rarely stay there for long before employers are expected to decide what those changes mean for their workplaces.

The challenge for employers is that social change is rarely uniform. People often agree that an issue matters, while disagreeing sharply about how organizations should respond. Employers are left to navigate not only changing expectations, but competing expectations, often in an environment in which views have become more polarized, and common ground can be difficult to find.

Layered on top of that is the reality that organizations still need to serve customers, manage costs, support their people and remain competitive in a difficult market.

Of course, not every social development requires the same response. Some become legal obligations. Some represent emerging best practices. Others require reflection, adaptation or, occasionally, restraint. Good organizations do not simply move from one trend to the next. They absorb new ideas, assess them thoughtfully, and determine how those ideas align with their purpose, culture and objectives.

That distinction can be difficult since legal obligations, social expectations, and employee assumptions often arrive together. Employers must determine which issues require immediate action, which require thoughtful consideration, and which may call for a respectful explanation for why the organization is taking a different approach. Whatever course is chosen, the decision is likely to be scrutinized from multiple directions.

The law often follows social trends, although usually with some delay. Many of the workplace obligations we now take for granted emerged because society’s understanding of fairness evolved. Ideas that begin as public conversations eventually find their way into legislation and case law. In that sense, employment law provides a running record of changing social priorities and changing views about what employers owe the people who work for them.

That does not mean every social issue belongs at work. Nor does it mean employers should retreat from these responsibilities. It does mean that leaders need to understand the environment in which they operate. Ignoring broader social trends is rarely a viable strategy because those trends eventually influence employee expectations, workplace culture and, in many cases, legal obligations.

In many ways, this idea sits at the heart of our own work. Our tagline, “Forward Thinking at Work,” is not simply a marketing phrase. It reflects a long-held belief that employers need to pay attention to what is happening beyond their walls and think carefully about how those developments may influence their workplaces. Guided by that philosophy, over the years we have adjusted our advice, services and approach, in response to changing societal norms. Understanding those shifting norms is often the first step in helping employers respond to them effectively.

Employers should stay attuned to what is happening beyond their walls. Not because every social shift requires an immediate workplace response, but because understanding those shifts helps organizations make better decisions about when to adapt, how to adapt and what to preserve. In an environment where consensus is often elusive, leadership becomes less about finding the perfect answer and more about making thoughtful decisions that remain consistent with an organization’s values, objectives and culture.

Organizations that successfully respond to the challenges of an ever-changing society will not be the ones that react fastest to every new trend. They will be the ones that understand what is changing, think carefully about what it means, and adapt in ways that remain consistent with their values and objectives.