Remote work vs. working in the office. It’s still a discussion many companies are struggling with as we enter year three of the pandemic. We’re also well into another year of companies striving to strengthen their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, a need that, like many issues, has been magnified over the past few years. But how does the conversation over returning to the office affect a company’s DEI efforts? A new survey suggests companies who are pushing a return to the office may be undermining their DEI initiatives. In this story from Business Insider, we learn that new data from Future Forum, a research group from Slack and its partners, found that one-third of the 10,000 employees surveyed have returned to the office five days a week. But the survey also found that workers from underrepresented groups wanted more flexibility in where they work. According to the article, the potential consequences of companies returning to the office could be significant as they risk losing talent and the possible creation of discriminatory promotion practices and subsequent lawsuits. “Flexibility is a key part of driving inclusion,” said Sheela Subramanian, the vice president of Future Forum. “If we continue to see the behavior of certain groups going back to the office full time, we run the risk of erasing the gains that we’ve seen over the last few years when it comes to that sense of belonging.”