Intel: Hybrid office first, creating a diverse and inclusive culture

Intel is designing a dynamic, flexible and inclusive workplace of the future where more than 110,000 employees can work quickly and efficiently.

Intel wants employees and their managers to work together to determine the location and model of work that will achieve the best performance. This may mean that upgraded collaboration spaces and new tools in the on-site office environment will be a plus. (Image source: Intel Corporation)

Christy Pambianchi

Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Since joining Intel as Chief Human Resources Officer, one of my top priorities has been to better prepare our global teams for the future of work.

The COVID-19 pandemic has allowed us to see changes in just a few months that would have taken a decade. The crisis has given us the opportunity to reimagine how we work and collaborate. At Intel, that means building a hybrid-first enterprise for the future.

We are focused on providing a vibrant, flexible and inclusive workplace where all of our 110,000+ employees can do their best work. We believe this approach will support our results-driven organizational culture while enabling our teams to work quickly and efficiently.

Reimagining how and where we work

Intel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was based on data-driven decision-making and a flexible response to uncertainty. While many companies quickly announced the pace and model of returning to the office, Intel held off on that plan. Instead, we developed a plan based on local data and regulations for each office location and continued to adjust based on what we learned.

We took the same approach when designing the workplace of the future. We surveyed employees around the world and used data as the foundation for everything we did, from shaping our work patterns to designing our on-site collaboration spaces.

In an April 2021 survey, 90% of employees said they would prefer a hybrid and flexible workplace when their workplace reopens. As we continue to learn and adapt, we see three work models in the future:

•Hybrid Work: The vast majority of employees will work part-time remotely and part-time in the office. We do not have a single set of requirements for how many days a week all employees should be on-site or how they should collaborate. We empower teams to find ways to drive results and balance business goals, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach for all of our employees around the world.

•On-site work: As a manufacturing company, some roles will always be “on-site.” This includes employees working in labs and factories that are critical to our extensive global digital infrastructure. Employees who qualify for hybrid work can also choose to work primarily on-site if they wish.

•Fully Remote Work: We will also continue to support the small number of employees who are designated to work fully from home due to the nature of their work, and who typically travel to Intel locations occasionally based on business needs.

Our goal is to support remote and on-site work to achieve optimal output while ensuring that everyone has equitable access to the systems, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. Over the past 20 months, we have learned that we can be extremely successful in a virtual environment, but we still believe that human interaction is the source of innovation.

We want employees and their managers to work together to determine where and how they can best perform, depending on the type of work they do. This may mean working from home when you need to focus on a priority project, or working on-site when you need to use upgraded collaboration spaces and new tools. Connect teams across the globe with enhanced one-click video conferencing and hub control to unleash the magic of face-to-face collaboration and inspire innovation and creativity.

Prioritize Inclusion

While hybrid and flexible working models help recruit a wider range of talent and provide the flexibility that many candidates require, business leaders still face the challenge of ensuring that future working models are inclusive and support everyone’s long-term development.

Recently, Intel commissioned an independent global survey on inclusion in the future of work. The survey sought to understand how business leaders around the world view creating an equitable workplace. We received responses from more than 3,000 business leaders in 17 countries. We are using this data to inform our plans. Today, we are publishing the results of this global and regional survey so that others can use these insights and apply them to their own teams. The survey findings include: 

•The COVID-19 pandemic has helped some companies drive diversity and inclusion (D&I).

63% of respondents said the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on diversity and inclusion at their company, and 46% said remote work and digitalization meant it was easier to recruit employees from underrepresented groups.

•However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on underrepresented groups.

54% of business leaders said that among underrepresented groups, employees with disabilities have lost the most jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by female employees (38%) and employees with children (37%).

•Business leaders say being more inclusive of a hybrid workforce is their top diversity and inclusion priority right now, and they are focusing on improving workplace culture in a number of ways.

51% are focused on ensuring all employees have equitable career development, whether working in person or remotely.

49% focus on training/workshops for successful hybrid working.

40% focus on supporting employees with disabilities.

Intel is committed to keeping inclusion at the center of our business planning. I am working closely with Intel executives, including Dawn Jones, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Vice President of Social Impact, to ensure that these at-risk employees are not left out as we redefine where, when and how we work.

At the same time, ensuring diversity and inclusion are prioritized in the future of work is not the responsibility of just one person or company. That’s why bodies like the Global Inclusion Alliance are critical to rallying the industry’s attention around the key issues of diversity and inclusion and their solutions.

Looking ahead

Intel’s approach to the future of work is based on our belief that our people are our most important asset. While we can’t yet determine the best long-term solution, data shows that many employees are looking for more flexibility, which is why we are introducing a hybrid-first approach. Going forward, we will prioritize diversity and inclusion and integrate it into our culture, systems, leadership expectations and performance metrics to ensure our future workplace is a good fit for everyone.

Christy Pambianchi is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Intel Corporation.