Leadership & Management

We've accidentally built a two-tier workforce with our flexible Fridays policy and I don't know how to unwind it

Ryan Ali · 26 Jul 2026

Started as a post-pandemic perk, anyone can WFH Fridays, no questions asked. Eighteen months on, I've clocked that it's always the same faces in the office (mostly junior staff and ops) while senior management and client leads have gone fully remote that day. Last week a graduate said to me flat out, Why should I bother coming in when nobody who can actually sponsor my development is here? She's not wrong. How are you all handling this creeping divide without scrapping flexibility entirely?

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2 replies

Catherine Mills · 26 Jul 2026

Honestly it's a bit of a red flag that you've let it get this far without addressing the imbalance, now you need to set clear expectations around what flexible Fridays actually mean for everyone.

Matilda Udo · 26 Jul 2026

I've seen this play out in a few companies now, it's like the flexibility becomes a proxy for seniority. What's worked for me in the past is setting core hours for everyone, so even if people are working from home on Fridays, they're still available and visible during those core hours.