Creating an inclusive, future-proof hybrid workplace for diverse working families

Posted on: 4 April 2025 in Research

Dr Laura Radcliffe, Dr Rachel Ashman and Professor Caroline Gatrell, have created the ‘Future Families Work’ (FFW) toolkit to help businesses foster inclusive, family-friendly and hybrid workplaces.

Developed in collaboration with Lancaster University and organisational consultancies – Avenir Consulting, How Do You Do It and Head Office – the project’s ambition is to build a business network where organisations can find support via a variety of training resources, website, events and working partnerships targeting organisational practice and policy.

Drawing on extensive research insights from organisational and management studies, the team has created a new toolkit to empower organisations to overcome the diverse needs of the modern workforce.

This evidence-based guide provides tools to help managers and employees challenge assumptions about traditional definitions of a “working family” and explore practices to better serve the needs of working families – particularly those with parental responsibilities.

The FFW toolkit is a useful “quick-start” guide to navigate diverse employee circumstances, including changes to the long-standing nuclear family model, home-office working suitability, and barriers to work/family conciliation.

“In today’s rapidly changing organisational landscape, the lines between work and family life blur like never before,” said Laura.

“Yet, our research has consistently demonstrated, across diverse groups – including dual-career families, single parents, blended families, and families coping with the COVID-19 pandemic – that current policies and practices to support working families do not adequately do so and are failing to keep pace with the rapidly transforming work and family lives of contemporary families. 

“This risks significant consequences for working families, organisations and the UK economy.”

Divided into three sections, the FFW toolkit offers a dynamic set of resources to build trust and support employees in a hybrid culture, empower diverse working families and redefine what professionalism means in the new social and technological context.

This includes specific actions to facilitate building self-awareness around professional beliefs, facilitating inclusive conversations and fostering empathy for team members facing diverse family challenges.

The toolkit also presents research findings and practical tips to understand the evolving dynamics and unique circumstances of working families across the UK by delving into three key areas: managing stigma, addressing caregiving support and understanding fluctuating support needs.

It addresses common concerns faced by home-working mothers, such as managing domestic responsibilities, creating boundaries and maintaining a healthy work/life balance, as well as valuable insights and actionable steps for employed fathers.

The toolkit also includes a pack of cards to encourage a critical debate around current societal and organisational beliefs on what it is to be a good professional.

This interactive tool has been designed to initiate conversations on what professionalism means, and ultimately, the collective creation of an explicit definition of professionalism that best aligns with the unique goals of the organisation.

The toolkit can be accessed digitally on the futurefamilieswork.org.uk website, which also includes useful blogs and updates on new research-based insights.

Speaking about the project’s future ambitions, Rachel said: “We want to spread the word and teachings in our toolkit far and wide through an impactful digital footprint which raises the issues of hybrid working and diverse family.

“One of our objectives is to create a ‘Future Families Work’ network, engaging managers and businesses interested in embedding the findings of our toolkit into their organisations, to contact us to arrange workshops, or download and use the toolkit and then feedback to us on how it has been impactful.

“We are encouraging a community of contributors to share their insights on our blog, shape discussions and foster knowledge exchange which can –hopefully - in the future, help us to contribute to the policy changes around flexible working and working family support.

“Our project is important because it illuminates challenges around shifting work practices, family demographics, inclusion and reforming organisational cultures - offering practical guidance which impacts employee experience, productivity, and an organisation's ability to retain employees.”