tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/work-401/articlesWork – The Conversation2024-03-26T12:48:40Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2223642024-03-26T12:48:40Z2024-03-26T12:48:40ZNot having job flexibility or security can leave workers feeling depressed, anxious and hopeless<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581106/original/file-20240311-22-aqasrx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C20%2C6934%2C4637&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Warehouse employees frequently lack control over their own schedules.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/exhausted-warehouse-worker-royalty-free-image/1413866834">Andres Oliveira/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When employees don’t have control over their work schedules, it’s not just morale that suffers – mental health takes a hit too. That’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.3439">what my colleagues and I discovered</a> in a study recently published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://www.bu.edu/sph/profile/monica-wang/">public health expert</a>, I know that the way our jobs are designed can affect our well-being. Research has shown that flexibility, security and autonomy in the workplace are strong <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.15">determinants of health</a>.</p>
<p>To understand how powerful they are, my colleagues and I looked at the 2021 <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/about_nhis.htm">National Health Interview Survey</a>, a major data collection initiative run out of the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm">National Center for Health Statistics</a>. We analyzed responses from 18,144 working adults across the U.S., teasing out how job flexibility and security may be linked with mental health.</p>
<p>The respondents were asked how easily they could change their work schedule to do things important to them or their family, whether their work schedule changed on a regular basis, and how far in advance they usually knew their schedules. They also rated their perceived risk of losing their job in the next 12 months.</p>
<p>We found that workers who had more flexible work arrangements were less likely to report feelings of depression, hopelessness and anxiety. Similarly, those with greater job security were at lower risk of mental health challenges. We also found that higher job security was linked with fewer instances of missing work over the past year.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>The average full-time worker dedicates <a href="https://www.gettysburg.edu/news/stories?id=79db7b34-630c-4f49-ad32-4ab9ea48e72b">a third</a> of their lifetime waking hours to work. Given that fact, understanding how job design affects mental health is key to developing policies that bolster well-being.</p>
<p>It’s clear why employers should care: When workers aren’t feeling well mentally, they’re <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-022-00761-w">less productive</a> and more likely to <a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/00043764-200104000-00010">miss work</a>. Their <a href="https://www.betterup.com/blog/mental-health-impedes-creativity">creativity</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2017.1304463">collaboration</a> and ability to <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-at-work#">meet job demands</a> also suffer, hurting the entire organization.</p>
<p>The impact of job-related stress extends beyond the workplace, affecting families, communities and health care systems. People grappling with work-related mental health challenges often require <a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-14-131">multiple forms of support</a>, such as access to counseling, medication and social services. Not addressing these needs comprehensively can cause <a href="http://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.3535">serious long-term consequences</a>, including reduced quality of life and increased health care costs.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01284-9">worsened mental health disparities</a> and that individuals in lower-wage positions, front-line workers and people in marginalized communities continue to face <a href="http://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.14136">additional challenges</a>. In this context, understanding exactly how job and work design can affect people’s mental health is all the more important.</p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>My research team plans to examine how race and gender affect the links between job flexibility, job security and mental health.</p>
<p><a href="http://doi.org/10.1037/a0034016">Previous research</a> suggests that women and people of color experience <a href="http://doi.org/10.1037/a0034016">unique workplace stressors</a> that harm their mental well-being. For instance, women continue to face <a href="https://sgff-media.s3.amazonaws.com/sgff_r1eHetbDYb/Women+in+the+Workplace+2023_+Designed+Report.pdf">barriers to career advancement</a>, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/gender-pay-gap-statistics/#">unequal pay</a> and a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-2025-x">higher burden</a> of unpaid care work.</p>
<p>Similarly, employees of color often experience <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/328394/one-four-black-workers-report-discrimination-work.aspx">discrimination</a>, <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/05/research-the-real-time-impact-of-microaggressions">microaggressions</a> and <a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/104761/racial-equity-and-job-quality.pdf">limited opportunities for professional growth</a> at work, all of which can harm <a href="https://milkeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/racialequitybrief.pdf">mental health</a>. Understanding gender and racial differences will help researchers and organizations develop targeted interventions and policy recommendations.</p>
<p>Mental health challenges are far from rare: More than 50 million Americans, or nearly <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness">1 in 5 adults</a>, live with mental illness. By creating workplaces that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08901171241233398">prioritize employee well-being</a> – through flexible work arrangements, supportive policies and access to mental health resources – organizations can help build a healthier society. </p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take on interesting academic work.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222364/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Monica Wang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The way jobs are structured affects employee mental health, an analysis of more than 18,000 workers shows.Monica Wang, Associate Professor of Public Health, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2244312024-03-25T18:23:52Z2024-03-25T18:23:52ZDigital mindfulness could help reduce the effects of technostress at work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580693/original/file-20240308-26-a964hr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=26%2C26%2C5928%2C3970&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/businesswoman-relax-work-office-1084534856">TORWAISTUDIO/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Technology-related stress, overload and anxiety are <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-09928-1_8">common problems in today’s workplace</a>, potentially leading to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00420-023-01967-8">higher burnout and poorer health</a>. Many of these issues are likely to have increased since remote working became much more widespread following the pandemic. </p>
<p>In 2022, along with colleagues at the University of Nottingham, I <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563221004416#:%7E:text=The%20dark%20side%20of%20digital,technostress%2C%20overload%20anxiety%20and%20addiction.&text=A%20narrow%20focus%20on%20certain,holistic%20experience%20of%20digital%20work.">conducted a review</a> of the academic literature on the downsides of digital working. We looked at nearly 200 studies from over the past decade, which revealed extensive evidence of negative health impacts of technostress and related “dark side of digital workplace” effects.</p>
<p>Building on that research, our next study, published in 2024, investigated whether mindfulness and digital confidence – the ability to apply existing digital skills to new devices, apps and platforms – might help reduce these negative effects.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295631">We found</a> that being more confident and mindful when using technology could help protect the health of digital workers.</p>
<p>Mindfulness is <a href="https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/mindfulness">a technique</a> to develop an nonjudgmental awareness of one’s feelings, thoughts and surroundings in the present moment. </p>
<p>It can help some people to avoid negative habits and responses by learning to observe their thoughts and emotions and tune in to the breath and body as an anchor. Becoming aware of habitual reactions in this way can help us to respond in a calmer, more effective manner.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Se971VQf8w8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Our latest study adds to evidence collected through <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-021-01681-x">many decades</a> of workplace mindfulness research, which has demonstrated its potential to reduce stress and anxiety among workers, as well as promoting better mental health and improving work engagement.</p>
<p>While our research did not investigate specific mindfulness techniques, our interview participants talked about ways that being mindful helped them to reduce stress in the digital workplace. </p>
<p>This could be as simple as pausing for a few deep breaths or stepping away from the technology for a short period. Checking in with their own mental, emotional and physical state while working digitally was also something that people said really helped them.</p>
<p>Participants with higher levels of mindfulness tended to be less overwhelmed by technology. They talked about avoiding multitasking online – for example, reading emails while on a video call – as well as establishing clear boundaries around its use, such as only using technology at certain times of the day. </p>
<p>It is worth noting that some workers were uneasy about taking time to disconnect, noting that they feared being seen as slacking or falling behind.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3PaWrX2uWm4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Overall, workers who were more confident with technology experienced less anxiety. And those who were more mindful appeared better protected from the negative aspects of digital working. </p>
<p>Our results suggest that although digital mindfulness and confidence are both important for employee wellbeing, ultimately, mindfulness is more effective than confidence with technology in protecting against technostress. </p>
<h2>Change perceptions to improve wellbeing</h2>
<p>In our analysis we explore the idea, based on previous studies, that mindfulness can help reduce anxiety by altering employees’ perceptions of digital stressors. </p>
<p>For example, researchers from the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0214935">University of Turin</a> in 2019 found that higher mindfulness among teachers was associated with a more positive workload stress appraisal and lower rates of subsequent burnout.</p>
<p>In our study, we found that digital workers who were more mindfully and digitally confident appeared to have a greater sense of agency when working digitally. They were also better equipped to change their digital habits for the better. </p>
<p>These changes involved setting boundaries by implementing rules for how and when to engage in the digital workplace. For example, turning off notifications, batching email or shutting down devices at the end of the working day.</p>
<p>Some participants also used short mindful practices to regulate their engagement with technology and take care of physical and mental health while working digitally. Beneficial activities included taking a short break from technology, going for a walk or making a cup of tea. </p>
<h2>Reflection is key to healthy digital habits</h2>
<p>To help employees thrive during the ongoing digital transformation of the workplace, organisations should consider ways to support staff with digital skills and mindful practices. Otherwise, they risk workers suffering further negative effects.</p>
<p>Conducting this research made our team think about our own digital practices and identify areas for change. For instance, being setting clearer boundaries around reading and responding to emails outside of work hours and taking more pauses while working digitally. </p>
<p>There are opportunities for all of us to grow our own skills in these areas, for example by engaging with training or self-learning to raise our digital competencies for work and learn some basic mindfulness practices.</p>
<p>Reflecting on what is and isn’t working in your digital work day can be a great place to start in fostering healthy digital work habits.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224431/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Marsh receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (grant number: ES/P000711/1). As well as conducting part-time PhD research at the University of Nottingham she is an independent digital workplace consultant and mindfulness teacher. She is a graduate member (GMBPsS) of the British Psychological Society.</span></em></p>Workers who find the digital workplace more stressful are also more likely to experience burnout and poorer health. Can taking a mindful approach to technology improve digital workers’ wellbring?Elizabeth Marsh, PhD Candidate, employee technostress and the potential of mindfulness, School of Psychology, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2256402024-03-15T17:34:43Z2024-03-15T17:34:43ZThe millions of people not looking for work in the UK may be prioritising education, health and freedom<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581930/original/file-20240314-28-ovlqfc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=107%2C107%2C5883%2C3880&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Taking time out.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-young-business-woman-relaxing-sitting-365682632">pathdoc/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Around <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/employmentintheuk/march2024">one in five</a> British people of working age (16-64) are now outside the labour market. Neither in work nor looking for work, they are officially labelled as “economically inactive”. </p>
<p>Some of those 9.2 million people are in education, with many students not active in the labour market because they are studying full-time. Others are older workers who have chosen to take early retirement. </p>
<p>But that still leaves a large number who are not part of the labour market because they are unable to work. And one key driver of economic inactivity in recent years has been <a href="https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/is-poor-health-driving-a-rise-in-economic-inactivity">illness</a>. </p>
<p>This increase in economic inactivity – which has grown <a href="https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/is-poor-health-driving-a-rise-in-economic-inactivity">since before the pandemic</a> – is not just harming the economy, but also indicative of a deeper health crisis. </p>
<p>For those suffering ill health, there are real constraints on access to work. People with health-limiting conditions cannot just slot into jobs that are available. They need help to address the illnesses they have, and to re-engage with work through organisations offering supportive and healthy work environments.</p>
<p>And for other groups, such as stay-at-home parents, businesses need to offer flexible work arrangements and subsidised childcare to support the transition from economic inactivity into work.</p>
<p>The government has a role to play too. Most obviously, it could increase investment in the NHS. Rising levels of poor health are linked to years of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/26/britons-earlier-deaths-linked-to-nhs-underinvestment-study">under-investment in the health sector</a> and economic inactivity will not be tackled without more funding.</p>
<h2>Carrots and sticks</h2>
<p>For the time being though, the UK government appears to prefer an approach which mixes carrots and sticks. In the <a href="https://theconversation.com/budget-2024-experts-explain-what-it-means-for-taxpayers-businesses-borrowers-and-the-nhs-225194">March 2024 budget</a>, for example, the chancellor cut national insurance by 2p as a way of “making work pay”. </p>
<p>But it is unclear whether small tax changes like this will have any effect on attracting the economically inactive back into work. </p>
<p>Jeremy Hunt also extended free childcare. But again, questions remain over whether this is sufficient to remove barriers to work for those with parental responsibilities. The <a href="https://www.local.gov.uk/parliament/briefings-and-responses/debate-affordability-and-availability-childcare-house-commons-21">high cost and lack of availability</a> of childcare remain key weaknesses in the UK economy.</p>
<p>The benefit system meanwhile has been designed to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/drnancydoyle/2022/02/10/coercion-not-required-uk-governments-new-scheme-sets-risky-goal-for-unemployment/">push people into work</a>. Benefits in the UK remain relatively <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/benefit-levels-uk">ungenerous and hard to access</a> compared with other rich countries. But labour shortages won’t be solved by simply forcing the economically inactive into work, because not all of them are ready or able to comply. </p>
<p>It is also worth noting that work itself may be a cause of bad health. The notion of “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00236560802615236">bad work</a>” – work that does not pay enough and is unrewarding in other ways – can lead to economic inactivity. </p>
<p>There is also evidence that as work has <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e9835846-d88c-4947-a5ee-33a378ff9f65">become more intensive</a> over recent decades, for some people, work itself has become a health risk. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1748-8583.12395">pandemic showed</a> us how certain groups of workers (including so-called “essential workers”) suffered more ill health due to their greater exposure to COVID. But there are broader trends towards lower quality work that predate the pandemic, and these trends suggest <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cje/article/48/1/1/7588710">improving job quality</a> is an important step towards tackling the underlying causes of economic inactivity.</p>
<h2>Freedom</h2>
<p>Another big section of the economically active population who cannot be ignored are those who have retired early and deliberately left the labour market behind. These are people who want and value – and crucially, can afford – a life without work. </p>
<p>Here, the effects of the pandemic can be seen again. During those years of lockdowns, furlough and remote working, many of us reassessed our relationship with our jobs. Changed <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/publications/rise-economic-inactivity-among-people-their-50s-and-60s">attitudes towards work</a> among some (mostly older) workers can explain why they are no longer in the labour market and why they may be unresponsive to job offers of any kind.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Sign on railings supporting NHS staff during pandemic." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582009/original/file-20240314-16-4rntic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">COVID made many people reassess their priorities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-brick-lane-uk-may-21st-1737902402">Alex Yeung/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And maybe it is from this viewpoint that we should ultimately be looking at economic inactivity – that it is actually a sign of progress. That it represents a move towards freedom from the drudgery of work and the ability of some people to live as they wish.</p>
<p>There are utopian visions of the future, for example, which suggest that individual and collective freedom could be dramatically increased by paying people a <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2017/07/free-money-everyone-will-universal-basic-income-ever-happen">universal basic income</a>. </p>
<p>In the meantime, for plenty of working age people, economic inactivity is a direct result of ill health and sickness. So it may be that the levels of economic inactivity right now merely show how far we are from being a society which actually <a href="https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=making-light-work-an-end-to-toil-in-the-twenty-first-century--9781509548620">supports its citizens’ wellbeing</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Spencer has received funding from the ESRC. </span></em></p>Economic inactivity is not always the worst option.David Spencer, Professor of Economics and Political Economy, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2245952024-03-13T17:03:49Z2024-03-13T17:03:49ZBereavement policies need to be updated to better support employees affected by MAID<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580777/original/file-20240308-16-mvo5i4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C30%2C6659%2C4436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Current bereavement policies do not address the reality of employees with family members that have used, or are planning to use, medical assistance in dying (MAID) services.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine your elderly parent has just made the decision to use <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html">medical assistance in dying (MAID) services</a>. Your parent, who has a terminal diagnosis and is suffering and in pain, made this choice after careful consideration, medical guidance and a heartfelt talk with family.</p>
<p>Your family members, who are spread across Canada, decide to gather a few days before MAID is performed — to visit, share stories, laugh and cry together, and say goodbyes. You want to be by your parent’s side, holding their hand, when the procedure is performed. There are plans for a funeral service two days after the procedure.</p>
<p>You call your employer to alert them that you need five days off due to an imminent death in the family. “I’m sorry,” your employer says. “Our official policy allows only three days of bereavement leave, please let us know which three days you will be absent.” </p>
<p>Which event would you be willing to miss? The goodbyes? The medical procedure itself? The funeral? And how much will it cost you emotionally to make that choice? </p>
<p>This is the situation many Canadians, including an Alberta HVAC technician named Arthur Newman (pseudonym), whom I interviewed for this story as part of ongoing research on the topic, currently find themselves in. </p>
<p>Most workplace bereavement policies were designed prior to MAID and very few employers have adjusted these policies in light of the new reality of living and dying in Canada.</p>
<h2>Bereavement policies in Canada</h2>
<p>Bereavement policies are <a href="https://www.benefitscanada.com/benefits/absence-management/a-look-at-current-provincial-policies-on-bereavement-leave/">inconsistent across Canada.</a> Federal employees are able to take up to <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/laws-regulations/labour/interpretations-policies/compassionate-care.html">10 days</a> off (not required to be consecutive), while the minimum legal requirements in <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/employment-standards-advice/employment-standards/forms-resources/igm/esa-part-6-section-53">British Columbia</a> and <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/bereavement-leave">Alberta</a> are only three days. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/bereavement-leave">Ontario</a> it is only two days, although employers can voluntarily offer more. <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/caregiving.html">Compassionate care leave</a> is available, but that requires going through Employment Insurance and is intended for people acting as a primary caregiver for an extended period, rendering it impractical for short leaves.</p>
<p>In addition, some employers strongly encourage employees to take their bereavement days consecutively, limiting flexibility. This current approach assumes the leave only begins after a death has occurred and is inadequate when a family member is using MAID. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Close up of a pair of hands holding the hand of an older person with an oxygen saturation probe on their finger" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580765/original/file-20240308-26-89qkk0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Being physically present for the procedure itself is also an important comfort for the person dying and their loved ones.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the era of MAID, <a href="https://www.cfp.ca/content/64/9/e387.short">death rituals</a> that take place before someone passes away, like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/25/world/canada/euthanasia-bill-john-shields-death.html">living wakes</a> and other <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1876790">traditions</a>, are becoming increasingly common. If a family member wishes to fully participate in all the end-of-life rituals of a loved one, they will need more than two or three days of leave.</p>
<p>Being physically present for the procedure itself is also an important comfort for the person dying and their loved ones, both of whom <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323231196827">psychologically benefit from a supportive and serene environment</a>. These new support needs and rituals generally supplement funerals, rather than replace them, which increases the overall time off that is required.</p>
<h2>Unintended complications</h2>
<p>Aside from death rituals and the MAID process itself, there are additional practical complications that can impact how many days of leave someone requires. For example, in Newman’s case, he travelled from Alberta to Ontario for his father’s MAID services. </p>
<p>After he arrived, his father decided to postpone his death a couple of weeks to address some unexpected legal complications related to his estate. Newman found himself in the impossible position of, having already taken a bereavement leave, being ineligible for another in the same year. </p>
<p>It was not an uncommon dilemma; the nurse practitioner scheduled to perform the service told him short postponements often happened due to things like estate management issues or parents giving their adult children more time to accept their decision. </p>
<p>Current bereavement policies do not address this reality. The outcome of that can be unintentionally cruel if employees are forced to choose between participating in death rituals (postponed or otherwise) or maintaining a positive relationship with their employer. </p>
<p>Some of these issues apply to non-MAID deaths as well. People with terminally ill loved ones who don’t choose MAID also want to be with them at the end, gather with loved ones, and have rituals, but the timing is even more difficult because they don’t have a specific death date.</p>
<h2>Supporting grieving employees</h2>
<p>Like most people who experience loss, employees who have a loved one going through MAID often require support <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020921493">while they process a wide range of emotions</a>. They experience the usual emotions associated with grieving, including fear, anger, guilt, sadness and uncertainty. </p>
<p>In some cases, however, they also experience moral confusion or outrage if their personal or religious beliefs conflict with the practice of MAID. Family tension, arguing and alienation may emerge if some family members support the decision and others do not, heightening anxiety for everyone.</p>
<p>This creates significant stress. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08853134.1997.10754079">Work-family role conflict</a>, which is conflict experienced when our work roles interfere with our ability to meet family obligations, magnifies the negative impacts of stress. This can lead to emotional exhaustion, difficulties with empathy, the tendency to treat people like objects and diminished performance at work. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man with a tired, stressed look on his face, rests his head against his hand while sitting at a desk" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580778/original/file-20240308-22-rdjshw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Employees who have a loved one going through MAID require extra time and support to process their grief.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All of these outcomes are highly negative in the workplace. As such, it is beneficial for employers to minimize work-family conflict by providing compassionate and caring supports for all bereaved workers, including those whose family members use MAID. That could include an empathetic supervisor, provision of an employee assistance plan with free counselling or referrals to bereavement support groups. </p>
<p>It also includes allowing sufficient time for employees to help their loved ones die with dignity and celebrate the life that was lost — in rituals that occur both before and after MAID services. It is highly recommended that employers adjust bereavement policies to allow more time and flexibility. </p>
<p>The additional cost created is justified on moral and ethical grounds, but also on a direct cost basis. Employees who feel like they are treated fairly, with compassion, consistently <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mux028">perform better than employees who feel their needs are being overlooked</a> or neglected. As such they are better able to do their work and contribute to profitable operations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224595/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Breward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Most workplace bereavement policies were designed prior to MAID and very few employers have adjusted these policies in light of the new reality of living and dying in Canada.Katherine Breward, Associate Professor, Business and Administration, University of WinnipegLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2246912024-03-05T20:57:58Z2024-03-05T20:57:58ZWomen want to climb the corporate ladder — but not at any price<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578677/original/file-20240115-27-31qawf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women are just as interested in opportunities for advancement as men are. However, they find them less attainable because of their busy schedules.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The consulting firm <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/">Spencer Stuart</a> recently published a study <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/-/media/2023/december/f500-profiles/fortune-500-csuite-snapshot-profiles-in-functional-leadership.pdf">of top management at Fortune 500 companies</a>, the 500 richest companies in the United States.</p>
<p>The analysis focused specifically on the gender of the people in these positions, their functions and the source of their appointments, whether they came from inside or outside the organization.</p>
<p>Studying the composition of top management, often referred to as the C-Suite, is particularly important since it allows us to see how many women make it to the position of CEO in an organization.</p>
<p>Respectively Dean of the John Molson School of Business, and an expert for several decades on the place of women in the upper echelons of the business world, we will discuss the main findings of the Spencer Stuart study.</p>
<h2>Starting points</h2>
<p>Three conclusions in particular caught our attention:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Men represent 60 per cent of the select group that constitutes top management. Men principally occupy the positions that offer the greatest potential for appointment as CEO, <a href="https://www.spencerstuart.com/-/media/2021/december/lastmile/the-last-mile-to-the-top-future-ceos-who-beat-the-odds.pdf">according to the history of appointments to such positions</a>. These include, for example, Chief Operating Officer, Head of Division and Chief Financial Officer;</p></li>
<li><p>Although women are increasingly present in top management positions (40 per cent), they are still found in the positions of Head of Human Resources, Head of Communications, Head of Diversity and Inclusion and Head of Sustainable Development. In other words, women are in so-called support functions that, while important for organizations, are unfortunately perceived as having little impact on shareholder equity and financial performance;</p></li>
<li><p>Appointments to top management positions that lead to the position of CEO come mainly from within the company. What does this mean? That an intimate knowledge of the organization gained over a long period is valued and that there is generally a promotion process in place to feed the succession pool.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Global overview of the situation</h2>
<p>Our experience over the last few decades allows us to draw similar conclusions about Canada. So we wanted to check whether this situation was similar in other countries.</p>
<p>A report by the International Labour Organization called <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_700953.pdf">“The Business Case for Change”</a> provides an overview of the position of women in the upper echelons of power in 13,000 companies operating on every continent.</p>
<p>As in the United States and Canada, the gender divide between positions that could be called support jobs, and those that contribute directly to an organization’s profitability, appears to be widespread. According to the authors of this study, it is also referred to as a “glass wall,” since it limits the pool of potential female candidates for the position of CEO.</p>
<p>But how can this phenomenon be explained?</p>
<h2>Stereotypes, biases and prejudices</h2>
<p>First of all, gender stereotypes and prejudices come into play from childhood.</p>
<p>They have an impact on the toys children play with, the subjects they study, their lives and their future careers.</p>
<p>Girls — generally speaking — aspire to become doctors, teachers, nurses, psychologists and veterinary surgeons. As for boys, they want to become engineers and <a href="https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/smashing-gender-stereotypes-and-bias-and-through-education">work in IT and mechanical fields</a>.</p>
<h2>Organizational culture</h2>
<p>Secondly, organizational culture is a <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_700953.pdf">mirror of our society and its traditions</a>.</p>
<p>It therefore conveys biases regarding the leadership potential of women compared to men.</p>
<p>According to the International Labour Organization survey cited above, 91 per cent of the women questioned agreed or strongly agreed that women lead as effectively as men. However, only 77 per cent of men agreed with this statement.</p>
<p>Arguably, this leadership bias has an impact on the recruitment, appointment, talent development and “stretch assignment” processes that pave the way for career progression.</p>
<p>There is also reason to believe that these biases are equally present on boards of directors, which are responsible for appointing CEOs and which are still predominantly composed of men.</p>
<h2>Different life goals</h2>
<p>Finally, women and men have different preferences and career goals.</p>
<p>According to a study by Harvard Business School professors Francesca Gino and Alison Wood Brooks entitled <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/09/explaining-gender-differences-at-the-top">“Explaining the Gender Differences at the Top,”</a> women are just as interested in opportunities for advancement as men are. However, they find them less attainable because of their busy schedules. As a result, women have to more seriously take into account the compromises and sacrifices they will have to make to occupy positions of high responsibility and power.</p>
<p>The authors are careful to point out that these results do not mean that women are less ambitious, but that career success means different things to different people. For some, it takes the form of power. For others, it can mean making colleagues happy and helping to make the world a better place in a collaborative and supportive environment.</p>
<p>This research is in line with that of Viviane de Beaufort, a professor at the École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC). In a survey of the career aspirations of 295 French women managers, she found that women do want to rise to the highest positions. <a href="https://www.academia.edu/80171918/WP_CERESSEC_CEDE_ESSEC_Viviane_de_Beaufort_2022_avec_le_collectif_WOMEN_BOARD_READY_ESSEC">But not at any price</a>.</p>
<h2>What determines career paths?</h2>
<p>This article therefore raises the following question:</p>
<p>Can we, as women, one day hope to be CEOs or fulfill our professional dreams despite the biases, prejudices, stereotypes and barriers we have to overcome?</p>
<p>Simone de Beauvoir wrote in 1949 in her essay “The Second Sex”:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Women determine and differentiate themselves in relation to men, not men in relation to women: they are inessential in relation to what is essential. He is the subject, he is the absolute, she is the other.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This excerpt reminds us that the skills and knowledge required to perform strategic functions have always been defined in terms of the male exercise of power in an environment where the organization’s performance is judged almost exclusively by financial success and growth of shareholder value.</p>
<p>It’s time to think about new career paths and skills that are not defined by gender, but rather, by an organization’s mission and objectives. These goals must take into account <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/07/the-c-suite-skills-that-matter-most">how they contribute to creating a better world</a>, as much as ensuring the financial success of organizations.</p>
<p>Functional skills must be valued as much as softer skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, a sense of community and boldness.</p>
<p>Breaking down glass walls also means that organizations and their boards have a responsibility to identify and encourage women to take up positions where they can gain experience and develop their leadership skills in front line rather than support roles.</p>
<p>In such a context, women, as much as men, will have a better chance of reaching the highest positions in a company while remaining true to themselves — and doing so on equal terms.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224691/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Women are increasingly present in top management positions, but they end up in so-called support functions, which rarely lead to CEO positions.Louise Champoux-Paillé, Cadre en exercice, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityAnne-Marie Croteau, Dean, John Molson School of Business, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2230802024-02-28T22:11:57Z2024-02-28T22:11:57ZStop breaking women’s hearts at work: 7 ways to make workplaces better for cardiovascular health<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578772/original/file-20240228-20-3fdqgt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1581%2C73%2C6597%2C4329&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows women are at higher risk for burnout and psychological, emotional and physical stress in the workplace in comparison to their male counterparts.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Prominent heart health messaging focuses on the <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/stroke/recovery-and-support/make-healthy-choices#:%7E:text=Be%20more%20active,disease%20and%20stroke%20by%2030%25.">role of lifestyle behaviours</a> (such as physical activity and nutrition) in cardiovascular health. However, the role of <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1">social determinants of health</a> (or SoDH) — which include sex, gender, poverty, environment — is also well established. SDoH not only directly impact <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/circresaha.121.319811">risk and progression</a> of heart disease, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajmo.2023.100047">but also health outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>Certain types of heart disease are <a href="https://www.heartandstroke.ca/what-we-do/media-centre/news-releases/system-failure-womens-heart-and-brain-health-are-at-risk">significantly more common in women</a>, compared to men. Moreover, compared with their non-Black counterparts, heart health for Black women is differentiated by a heavier burden of traditional risk factors, earlier development of the disease and nearly 20 per cent higher <a href="https://onlinecjc.ca/article/S0828-282X(23)01619-7/abstract#:%7E:text=Compared%20with%20their%20nonblack%20counterparts,higher%20rates%20of%20cardiovascular%20mortality.">rates of cardiovascular mortality</a>. </p>
<h2>Women, work and heart health</h2>
<p>Canadians spend an average of 7.5 hours per day at work, translating to roughly half of our waking hours. Several researchers have shown a relationship between <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/increasing-workplace-flexibility-associated-with-lower-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease/">workplace and heart health</a>. For instance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2023.307413">research has linked</a> increased workplace flexibility (hybrid models, flexible schedule) with lower risk of cardiovascular disease. </p>
<p>Research also shows women are at higher risk for burnout and psychological, emotional and physical stress in the workplace <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/14/burnout-is-on-the-rise-gen-z-millennials-and-women-are-the-most-stressed.html#:%7E:text=Two%20types%20of%20people%2C%20however,burnout%20than%20men%20(37%25)">in comparison to their male counterparts</a>. This disproportionate burden has been attributed to several factors in and outside the workplace, inextricably linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01400">gender roles, sexism, racism, ageism and misogyny</a>. For instance, women are more likely to experience gender-based violence, assumptions about gender-roles, and higher cognitive and emotional workload in and out of work. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman bringing a mug to an older woman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578728/original/file-20240228-22-q2iddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many women balance paid work with gendered labour in the home and care-taking roles.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once again, these burdens are <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/ca/%7E/media/mckinsey/locations/north%20america/canada/gender%20diversity%20at%20work/gender_diversity_at_work_in_canada.pdf">higher in equity-deserving groups</a>, especially for women experiencing <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">intersectional forms of discrimination</a>, such as <a href="https://canadianwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Resetting-Normal-Gender-Intersectionality-and-Leadership-Report-Final-EN.pdf">racism, colonialism, ableism and homophobia</a>. </p>
<p>It should not come as a surprise then that almost 90 per cent of reported <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/takotsubo-cardiomyopathy-broken-heart-syndrome#:%7E:text=More%20than%2090%25%20of%20reported,no%20long%2Dterm%20heart%20damage.">stress-induced heart disease</a> — or “<a href="https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/10/13/broken-heart-syndrome-is-on-the-rise-especially-among-older-women">broken heart syndrome</a>” — is found among women, and five per cent of women suspected of having a heart attack actually have this disorder.</p>
<p>Women are often the heart of their communities, and assume multiple, and intersecting, gendered social roles. For instance, many balance paid work, with <a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/diff/ace-women-health/Healthy%20Balance/ACEWH_hbrp_thinking_it_through_women_work_caring_new_millennium.pdf">gendered labour in the home and in care-taking roles</a>. To make matters worse, women are then <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/04/stop-framing-wellness-programs-around-self-care">bombarded with wellness and self-management messaging</a> that tells them they are <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-psychology-of-weight-loss/202308/going-on-vacation-wont-cure-your-burnout">responsible for managing stress</a> and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-psychology-of-weight-loss/202306/the-burnout-burger">risk in a “healthy” way</a>.</p>
<p>In terms of workplace health, women and equity-deserving groups have been compared to the “canary in the mine.” Canaries were traditionally used in coal mines to detect the presence of carbon monoxide. The bird would succumb to the toxicity before the miners, thereby providing time to take action. </p>
<p>However, psychologists Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674251014">make an important point</a>: No one ever declared that the canaries needed to be more resilient or do more self-care to be less susceptible to the influence of carbon monoxide.</p>
<p>Women make up over half of the population, yet continue to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.neuron.2021.06.002">under-represented in the workplace in several ways</a>, including <a href="https://canadianwomen.org/the-facts/women-and-leadership-in-canada/#:%7E:text=Women%20are%2030%25%20less%20likely,%2C%20report%20finds%2C%202017">leadership and positions of influence</a>. </p>
<h2>Creating heart-healthy workplaces</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman at a desk looking at a tablet" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578730/original/file-20240228-24-sbksv1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hybrid work models can increase productivity and workers’ locus of control and support flexible hours.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Workplaces can have a positive impact on women’s health by ensuring knowledge about women and heart disease is translated into actions that support prevention and treatment. Here are seven evidence-based recommendations for co-creating heart-healthy workplaces:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>Flexible hours</strong>: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716211415608">Inflexible work schedules</a> have been shown to increase stress for <a href="https://workplaceinsight.net/working-mothers-disproportionately-more-stressed-study-claims/">women and families</a> — including stressors transmitted to children. Effective “flex hours” initiatives (for example, flex hours to support physical activity) show <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2023/workplace-flexibility-may-support-cardiovascular-health">positive impact on workers’ heart health</a>, physical activity and sleep patterns, especially in adults ages 45 and older and for those who had increased cardiovascular disease risks.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Flexible hybrid work models</strong>: Evidence on hybrid work models has grown exponentially since March 2020. It appears that when using a non-fixed, worker-led approach, hybrid work models can <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/increasing-workplace-flexibility-associated-with-lower-risk-of-cardiovascular-disease/">increase productivity, workers’ locus of control and support flexible hours</a>. Research supports that women are more likely to use this option, when offered, but also highlights that when employers fail to monitor impact, or properly design jobs for hybrid and remote working, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/25/hybrid-working-may-hold-back-womens-careers-say-managers">hybrid work models can augment gender pay and promotion gaps</a>. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Invest in psychological safety</strong>: A <a href="https://theconversation.com/fostering-psychological-safety-in-the-workplace-4-practical-real-life-tips-based-on-science-204661">psychologically safe workplace</a> is where employees feel comfortable taking risks and being themselves without fear of judgement, lateral violence (for example stonewalling, bullying) or negative consequences. Psychological safety is positively associated with workplace engagement, innovation, job performance and job satisfaction — all desirable outcomes for institutions, organizations, the bottom line, clients and the community. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Offer health benefits</strong>: Mandatory benefits, also known as statutory benefits, are <a href="https://novascotia.ca/lae/employmentrights/docs/labourstandardscodeguide.pdf">required by Canadian employment law</a>. They include provincial health-care coverage, pension contributions, employment insurance, survivor insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. <a href="https://velocityglobal.com/resources/blog/employee-benefits-in-canada">Supplementary benefits</a> help attract and retain workers. Examples include dental care, medication insurance, disability insurance and many complementary medicine services. These <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF03403639">supplementary benefits</a> have been associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.33020">improved health outcomes</a>, and <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc)">reduced chronic disease risk</a>.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Invest in programs supporting health promotion</strong>: In addition to the examples above, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/initiatives/resource-center/pdf/WHRC-Workplace-Best-Practices-for-Heart-Healthy-Employees-508.pdf">workplaces can invest</a> in programming that supports health-promoting behaviours in and out of work. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000000467">Such programming</a> has been associated with workplace satisfaction, productivity and favourable health-related outcomes. Additional examples of health promotion include health risk appraisals, lunch and learns, flexible and inclusive leave options, and time off for leisure activities, spiritual practices, volunteering or community engagement. </p></li>
<li><p><strong>Engage in collective conflict resolution strategies</strong>: Evidence supports that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470432/">collaborative conflict resolution</a> approaches, like mediation, can provide a positive learning opportunity for those involved. This encourages workers to find a solution together, <a href="https://demlegaleagle.com/blog/2020/12/3-ways-workplace-mediation-may-beat-discipline/">rather than via formal disciplinary action</a>, where the root causes of conflict often go unaddressed.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Commit to policy, procedure and protocols that combat ‘isms’</strong>: Ibram X. Kendi’s book, <a href="https://www.ibramxkendi.com/how-to-be-an-antiracist"><em>How To Be An Antiracist</em></a>, provides rationale and examples for how to ensure policy and procedures are anti-racist. Adopting this approach requires a significant, but worthwhile investment, learning and unlearning, but gains can be made through small changes. Workplaces can also adopt policies that combat other forms of discrimination, including ageism and sexism. For instance, several employers have started to <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/stay-at-home-mom-resume">encourage applicants</a> to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2023/02/24/how-stay-at-home-parents-returning-to-work-can-overcome-common-barriers/?sh=f500d7f2c091">report “stay at home mom” as part of their work experience</a>, and the several transferable skills this experience offers.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A yellow canary perched on a branch" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=545&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578731/original/file-20240228-18-alxd70.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=685&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Integrating health and safety strategies is a better option for workers than waiting until the ‘canary’ expires.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Rather than waiting until the canary in the workplace coal mine expires, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000000467">evidence shows</a> there are options available to integrate health and safety strategies that achieve measurable benefits to enhance the overall health and well-being of workers, their families and the community. </p>
<p>In acknowledging that factors like the built environment, social and health systems, and outdated policies are the problems needing to be addressed — rather than people, including women, those living with disability, and equity-deserving groups — we take a step towards healthier, safer and more accessible workplaces.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223080/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shannan M. Grant has received funding from Diabetes Canada, Dietitians of Canada and currently holds funding from Medavie, Tri-Council Funding Programs, Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, IWK Health, Mount Saint Vincent University. She is affiliated with Mount Saint Vincent University, IWK Health, Dalhousie University, Dietitians of Canada, Diabetes Canada, People in Pain (PIPN), and Dr. Lee-Baggley and Associates.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dayna Lee-Baggley dislosures: Consulting fees from: Bausch Health, Novo Nordisk; Clinical advisory committee: Tobacco Free Nova Scotia; Royalties: New Harbinger Publications; Funded by: Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund, Employment and Social Development Canada, Government of Canada; Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, Research Grants; Owner or co-owner: Dr. Lee-Baggley and Associates Inc and ImpACT Workplace Solutions Inc.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacquie Gahagan receives funding from SSHRC and CIHR.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barb Hamilton-Hinch, Jessica Mannette, and Leigh-Ann MacFarlane do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Acknowledging that factors like the built environment, social and health systems, and outdated policies are the problems — rather than people — is a step towards healthier and safer workplaces.Shannan M. Grant, Associate Professor, Registered Dietitian, Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Professional Studies, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityBarb Hamilton-Hinch, Associate Professor, School of Health and Human Performance, and Assistant Vice Provost of Equity and Inclusion, Dalhousie UniversityDayna Lee-Baggley, Adjunct professor, Department of Family Medicine & Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie UniversityJacquie Gahagan, Full Professor and Associate Vice-President, Research, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityJessica Mannette, Research Assistant, Department of Psychology, Saint Mary’s UniversityLeigh-Ann MacFarlane, Educational Developer, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2231342024-02-22T19:44:43Z2024-02-22T19:44:43ZDoes a university undergraduate degree lead to a ‘good job?’ It depends what you mean<p>Universities are <a href="https://univcan.ca/media-room/media-releases/universities-must-be-a-part-of-canadas-plan-for-economic-growth">central to Canada’s economic growth</a>. </p>
<p>As a result, governments (<a href="https://theconversation.com/low-funding-for-universities-puts-students-at-risk-for-cycles-of-poverty-especially-in-the-wake-of-covid-19-131363">which partially fund them</a>), employers (who hire graduates) and students (who pay tuition fees) have come to view universities as a tool to achieve their own goals: economic growth, <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-reveals-the-folly-of-performance-based-funding-for-universities-138575">a productive workforce</a> and good jobs after graduation.</p>
<p>Yet, the increasing focus on training undergraduates for specific jobs <a href="https://theconversation.com/entrepreneurship-learning-all-university-students-can-benefit-172585">or as economic entrepreneurs</a> — not only in traditional professional degrees in STEM, such as engineering but across all university programs — shortchanges all parties involved. </p>
<h2>Is education only to be ‘endured’?</h2>
<p>Positioning jobs as the paramount outcome of a degree strips away opportunities for students to explore their passions and interests and instead frames education as something they must endure — as they focus on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/goldiechan/2023/07/24/5-challenges-to-overcome-building-a-personal-brand-as-college-student/?sh=1a5c171a609b">packaging themselves as marketable brands</a>.</p>
<p>Even while the spectre <a href="https://jacobin.com/2023/07/canada-precarity-gig-work-skills-labor-data">of employment precarity</a> and debt hang over students, and despite trends <a href="https://ontariosuniversities.ca/news/preparing-students-to-graduate-job-ready-and-resilient/">towards work-ready</a> undergraduate programs, it’s often only after students have earned an undergraduate degree that they know their career aspirations — and <a href="https://macleans.ca/work/jobs/should-i-pursue-a-masters-degree">seek education to bolster</a> a workplace role that fits them.</p>
<p>One result <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/shodewan/2023/09/10/will-a-masters-degree-help-advance-your-career/?sh=1dbd322074b9">is that a master’s degree is becoming the new bachelor’s degree</a> in terms of advancing one’s employment prospects. Students who have pursued their interests during their undergraduate years enter master’s or second-entry programs with a base of general non-workplace knowledge. </p>
<p>This knowledge base comes not only from their undergraduate coursework or weekly job fairs. Rather, it primarily comes after <a href="https://theconversation.com/students-returning-to-campus-want-the-university-experience-missed-during-covid-19-186507">taking advantage of all that universities offer</a> without the pressures of wondering how any assignment, course or program is related to a future job.</p>
<h2>Shifting missions and purposes today</h2>
<p>Universities have become critical engines of national, regional and local innovation and research that have to manage <a href="https://universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/performance-based-funding-comes-to-the-canadian-postsecondary-sector/">new expectations from governments</a>, employers and students. In the past decade, post-secondary institutions <a href="https://universityaffairs.ca/opinion/in-my-opinion/international-students-as-problems-and-solutions/">have also become a means to attract high-performing immigrants</a>.</p>
<p>As governments link <a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-19-reveals-the-folly-of-performance-based-funding-for-universities-138575">university funding to labour market outcomes</a> using various performance measures, universities are in danger of becoming job preparation academies.</p>
<p>Employers seek graduates ready to enter the workplace, even while labour advocates point to stronger models for on-the-job-training seen in other countries <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-adopting-german-job-training-model-could-help-lift-alberta-out-of-downturn">such as Germany</a>. </p>
<h2>Pressures on students</h2>
<p>Many high school students face <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/stress-of-getting-into-university-now-starts-in-grade-10/article18347125">intense pressure to be accepted into an undergraduate program</a> that promises <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-plain-and-simple-students-want-college-programs-that-get-them-jobs/">a good job after graduation</a>. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, given the context, many students, prodded by parents, select programs with the words such as “business,” “technology” and “information” in the title. Across Canada, <a href="https://macleans.ca/education/the-best-application-help-money-can-buy">humanities enrolments have declined, while applications to science, engineering and business programs have increased steadily</a>. </p>
<p>These programs are oversubscribed, allowing universities to charge <a href="https://thevarsity.ca/2023/11/18/why-do-some-undergraduate-degrees-cost-so-much-more-than-others/">deregulated fees</a> that are much higher than fees for most other undergraduate BA and B.Sc. programs. After graduation, students may find they are qualified for highly competitive entry-level positions that scarcely appeal to their interests.</p>
<h2>Education as tool?</h2>
<p>Until <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/11-008-x/2000001/article/5086-eng.pdf?st=hiGpmHsZ">the mid-1970s, unemployment rates were low</a>. Many graduates found jobs relatively easily after graduation as the economy boomed and the public sector — such as education — expanded.</p>
<p>Any program of study would most likely lead to a job, and to further opportunities.</p>
<p>The reverse is the case now: competition for good jobs is fierce and sometimes <a href="https://theconversation.com/ahead-of-the-game-or-falling-behind-canadas-readiness-for-a-borderless-global-workforce-201625">international in nature</a>, resulting <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/suzanne-mettler/degrees-of-inequality/9780465044962/">in intensive economic and social pressure</a>. </p>
<p>Understandably, most young people have come to view university education as instrumental: a tool to gain a good job. </p>
<p>Yet as education researcher Roy Y. Chan shows, a growing misalignment exists between the “<a href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/roychan/publications/understanding-purpose-higher-education-analysis-economic-and-social-benefits">pragmatic, instrumental goals and aims” of students and the reality of universities’ renegotiating their contemporary missions and mandates</a>. All the while, this is happening amid increasing financial pressure and new post-secondary funding models.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-have-thrived-despite-past-disruptions-and-could-grow-even-stronger-after-covid-19-150346">Universities have thrived despite past disruptions and could grow even stronger after COVID-19</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The meaning of a ‘good job’</h2>
<p>A good first job after graduation is one that fits the temperament of the person <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Essential-Guide-to-Studying-Abroad-From-Success-in-the-Classroom-to/Klassen-Menges/p/book/9780367235161">and reflects a degree of self-knowledge of</a> what they can commit to working hard at. “Good jobs” immediately after graduation are not necessarily those that have the highest pay or prestige. </p>
<p>Promoting an undergraduate education to young people as a step — if not the most critical step — <a href="https://spon.ca/doug-ford-has-plunged-colleges-and-universities-into-crisis-with-historic-funding-cuts-and-no-plan-for-their-futures/2023/04/26/comment-page-1/">to entering the workforce is</a> misleading. </p>
<p>Both government and universities must rethink the role of the undergraduate degree, and employers should not expect job-ready candidates immediately after the undergraduate convocation ceremony.</p>
<h2>Learning how to learn</h2>
<p>Universities, governments and employers must communicate to Canada’s young people, and future leaders, that a large part of the value of their undergraduate degree, whichever degree they choose, lies in taking advantage of all the opportunities for learning that universities offer. </p>
<p>A university education is an investment, but primarily one in learning how to learn. A university education should teach students how to: be curious, follow passions, debate and ask questions, forge friendships, pursue passions and understand oneself and one’s place in the world.</p>
<p>Young people with such a mindset in their education are poised to <a href="http://www.ubcpress.ca/how-to-succeed-at-university-and-get-a-great-job">flourish in university and in the workplace</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223134/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Klassen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Students should know that a key part of the value of their undergraduate degree lies in taking advantage of all the opportunities for learning that universities offer.Thomas Klassen, Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2210812024-02-13T13:23:15Z2024-02-13T13:23:15ZWhy is free time still so elusive?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574720/original/file-20240209-18-ge59pz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5946%2C3943&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Massive gains in productivity haven't led to more time free from work.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/time-flies-conceptual-image-royalty-free-image/1743874416?adppopup=true">J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There have been massive gains in productivity over the past century. </p>
<p>So why are people still working so hard for so long? </p>
<p>Output per worker <a href="https://stacker.com/business-economy/how-us-labor-productivity-has-changed-1950">increased by almost 300% between 1950 and 2018</a> in the U.S. The standard American workweek, meanwhile, has remained unchanged, at about 40 hours. </p>
<p>This paradox is especially notable in the U.S., where the <a href="https://data.oecd.org/emp/hours-worked.htm">average work year is 1,767 hours compared with 1,354 in Germany</a>, a difference largely due to Americans’ <a href="https://www.justworks.com/blog/average-vacation-days-by-country#which-country-has-the-least-vacation-days-how-the-us-compares">lack of vacation time</a>.</p>
<p>Some might argue that Americans are just more hardworking. But shouldn’t more productive work be rewarded with more time free from work? </p>
<p>This is the central theme of my new book, “<a href="https://nyupress.org/9781479813087/free-time/">Free Time: The History of an Elusive Ideal</a>.” </p>
<h2>Keynes misses the mark</h2>
<p>Many economists <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/business/9806schor-overworked.html">see the status quo mostly as a choice</a>: People would simply rather have more money. So they prioritize work over free time. </p>
<p>However, in the past, many economists assumed that people’s need for more stuff would eventually be met. At that point, they would choose more free time. </p>
<p>In fact, one of the most famous economists of the 20th century, John Maynard Keynes, <a href="https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/files/content/upload/Intro_and_Section_I.pdf">confidently predicted in 1930</a> that within a century, the normal workweek would decrease to 15 hours. Yet Americans in their prime working age are still on the job 41.7 hours per week. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Man with white mustache and thinning hair sits for a portrait." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=751&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=751&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=751&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=944&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=944&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574715/original/file-20240209-24-kbpzmh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=944&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Maynard Keynes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/british-economist-and-financier-john-maynard-keynes-news-photo/640460459?adppopup=true">Library of Congress</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Why was Keynes wrong?</p>
<p>Obviously, people’s needs or wants were not fully met. In the first half of the 20th century, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-manipulation-of-the-american-mind-edward-bernays-and-the-birth-of-public-relations-44393">advertising shifted</a> in ways that emphasized emotions over utility, making consumers feel like they needed to buy more stuff; <a href="https://daily.jstor.org/the-birth-of-planned-obsolescence/">planned obsolescence</a> shortened how long products remained functional or fashionable, spurring more frequent purchases; and new, exciting – but costly – goods and services kept consumerism churning. </p>
<p>So workers continued to labor for long hours to earn enough money to spend. </p>
<p>Furthermore, as wages rose, the opportunity cost of time spent away from work also grew. This made more free time less economically appealing. In a consumption-saturated society, time spent neither producing nor consuming goods increasingly appeared as wasted time. </p>
<p>Interest in slower, cheaper activities – reading a book, meeting a friend to catch up over coffee – started to seem less important than buying a pickup truck or spending an hour at the casino, pursuits that demand disposable income.</p>
<h2>Forced labor</h2>
<p>It’s still important to consider whether there’s even any choice to be made. </p>
<p>Almost everyone who works 40 hours a week or more does so because they have to. There are bills to pay, health insurance coverage to maintain and retirement to squirrel away money for. Some jobs are more precarious than others, and many workers even forego <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20211209-why-its-so-hard-for-some-workers-to-ask-for-time-off">earned vacation time for fear of losing promotions</a>.</p>
<p>This hardly makes for a free choice.</p>
<p>But the 40-hour week isn’t the result of a personal calculation of costs and benefits. Rather, it’s the result of a hard-fought political battle that culminated in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Labor_Standards_Act_of_1938">Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938</a>, which established the standard 40-hour workweek, along with a minimum wage. </p>
<p>Pressed by a labor movement <a href="https://theconversation.com/1-in-10-us-workers-belong-to-unions-a-share-thats-stabilized-after-a-steep-decline-221571">that was far more powerful than today’s</a>, the government implemented a range of progressive economic policies during the 1930s to help the nation emerge from the Great Depression.</p>
<p>Many government officials viewed setting a standard workweek as a way to curtail exploitation and unfair competition among employers, who would otherwise be motivated to push their employees to work for as long as possible. It was an emergency measure, not a choice of more time over more personal income. Nor was it a step toward the progressive reduction of hours worked, as Keynes had envisioned. </p>
<p>In fact, it was hardly a radical measure.</p>
<p>Labor leaders had initially proposed a 30-hour week, which government officials resoundingly rejected. Even New Deal liberals saw a shortening of working hours as a <a href="https://tupress.temple.edu/books/work-without-end">potential threat to economic growth</a>. </p>
<p>So the 40-hour week ended up as the compromise, and the standard hasn’t been updated since.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young women raise their fists and smile. Two of them hold a sign reading 'SIT-DOWN STRIKE - HELP US WIN 40 HOUR WEEK.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574714/original/file-20240209-24-2ol17u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=595&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Woolworth’s employees strike for a 40-hour workweek in 1937.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/female-employees-of-woolworths-holding-a-sign-indicating-news-photo/140427674?adppopup=true">Underwood Archives/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For most Americans, this was an acceptable trade-off. They might be working long hours, but they could afford television sets, cars and homes in the suburbs. Many families could live on the wages of the full-time work of the father, making the 40-hour week seem reasonable, since the mother had time to care for the family and home. </p>
<p>But this consensus has long since been undermined. Since the 1970s, inflation-adjusted <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/">wages haven’t risen with economic growth</a>. In many households that include married or partnered couples, a single wage earner has been replaced by two earners, both of whom find themselves working at least 40 hours per week.</p>
<p>It’s almost as if the 40-hour week has been replaced by an 80-hour week – at least in <a href="https://gitnux.org/two-income-families-statistics/">terms of hours worked per household</a>. </p>
<p>Who has time to raise kids? Who can afford them? It’s no wonder <a href="https://www.vox.com/23971366/declining-birth-rate-fertility-babies-children">the birth rate has declined</a>.</p>
<h2>Separating economic growth from well-being</h2>
<p>For decades, the amount of work we do has been talked about as “just the way things are” – an inevitability, almost. It doesn’t seem possible for society to take a different tack and, like flipping a switch, work less.</p>
<p>To me, this resignation points to a need to reconsider the social contracts of the past. Most Americans will not abandon their work ethic and their insistence that most people work. Fair enough. </p>
<p>Many people prefer working over having vast stores of free time, and that’s OK. And there’s still immense value in work that doesn’t produce a paycheck – caregiving and volunteering, for example.</p>
<p>But reducing the standard workweek, perhaps by transitioning to a four-day week, could ease stress for overworked families.</p>
<p>These changes require political action, not just individuals making the personal choice to arrive at a better work-life balance. And yet a national reduction in the standard workweek seems almost impossible. Congress can’t even <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/12/politics/inflation-reduction-children-families/index.html">pass legislation for paid family leave</a> or guaranteed vacation time.</p>
<p>It doesn’t help that elected leaders continue to insist that well-being be measured mostly by economic growth, and when the U.S. media breathlessly reports quarterly economic growth data, with increases deemed “good” and decreases deemed “bad.” </p>
<p>Why shouldn’t free time and its benefits be included in the equation? Why aren’t figures on the social costs of unlimited growth publicized? Does it even matter that <a href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/the-dow-jones-industrial-average-is-back-these-are-the-stocks-driving-it-to-new-highs-a7d01b17">the Dow Jones Industrial Average</a> has doubled in less than a decade when economic security is so fragile and <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/4162682-americas-in-a-united-state-of-stress-and-disillusionment/">so many people are overstressed</a>?</p>
<p>The idea that stratospheric increases in productivity can allow for more time for life is not simply a romantic or sentimental idea. Keynes viewed it as entirely reasonable.</p>
<p>Opportunities like the one that led to the 40-hour workweek in the 1930s rarely appear. But some sort of paradigm shift is urgently needed.</p>
<p>Something has to give.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221081/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary Cross does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes famously predicted that within a century, the normal workweek would decrease to 15 hours. Why was he wrong?Gary Cross, Distinguished Professor of Modern History, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2224922024-02-11T13:51:45Z2024-02-11T13:51:45ZNew research debunks the ‘unhappy worker’ narrative, but finds most still believe it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573929/original/file-20240206-18-uhr8gf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C78%2C8635%2C5696&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">After years of negative rhetoric, a mindset shift towards believing work isn’t a necessary evil couldn’t hurt.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As a sociologist who studies how people think and feel about work, I’ve been struck by the unflattering cultural narrative that has intensified around work in recent years. </p>
<p>The so-called “<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/01/why-2022-was-the-real-year-of-the-great-resignation.html">Great Resignation</a>” of 2021 and 2022 saw an increase in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/15/magazine/antiwork-reddit.html">anti-work rhetoric</a> and the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2022-in-review/the-year-in-quiet-quitting">onset of the “quiet quitting” trend</a> — a variation on the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-quiet-quitting-heres-why-and-how-you-should-talk-to-your-boss-instead-189499">work to rule” concept</a> where employees do no more than the bare minimum required by contract. Quitting was also described <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/style/quit-your-job.html">as being fun</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/business/quitting-contagious.html">and contagious</a>. </p>
<p>A <em>Wall Street Journal</em> headline from November 2023 <a href="https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/workers-morale-pay-benefits-remote-52c4ab10?mod=workplace_trendingnow_article_pos1">summarized the sentiment aptly</a>: “Why is Everyone So Unhappy at Work Right Now?” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man walks toward the camera holding a cardboard box with a plant peeking out the top. Behind him, a man in a suit sits at a desk with his hands folded in front of him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573939/original/file-20240207-30-7yteca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Quitting has been framed as a trend in recent economics think pieces in American news media.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We’re told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-show-sarah-jaffe.html?searchResultPosition=1">“work won’t love you back”</a> and that <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/11/danger-really-loving-your-job/620690/">loving your job is a “capitalist trap</a>.” Long-suffering workers reached their breaking point, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/opinion/workers-quitting-wages.html">according to some news commentators</a>, in what has been called the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220126-the-rise-of-the-anti-work-movement">anti-work movement</a>. Some interpreted the tumult in the labour market as evidence that workers were simultaneously fed up and empowered to seek better working conditions.</p>
<p>But not all commentators have bought into this narrative. Reflecting on the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/03/american-great-resignation-hate-work/627761/">Great Resignation</a>, American journalist Derek Thompson found “workers are more satisfied than the internet would have you believe.”</p>
<p>Thompson <a href="https://www.conference-board.org/pdfdownload.cfm?masterProductID=27278">based his argument on studies</a> that found consistently <a href="https://theconversation.com/vast-majority-of-american-workers-like-their-jobs-even-as-a-record-number-quit-them-173564">high levels of job satisfaction</a> among American workers — a pattern I have discovered in my own research.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/vast-majority-of-american-workers-like-their-jobs-even-as-a-record-number-quit-them-173564">Vast majority of American workers like their jobs – even as a record number quit them</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But I wondered about something else: could the adverse effects of anti-work rhetoric spread beyond one’s own job perception? If the portrayal of the Great Resignation — especially its purported personal causes — tainted work attitudes, then widespread discontent should be apparent. </p>
<h2>Americans’ perception of work</h2>
<p>In November 2023, with the help of the <a href="https://today.yougov.com/">research firm YouGov</a>, I conducted a national survey of 5,000 American workers to test my hunch. I call my study <a href="https://workandhealth.ca">the MESSI (Measuring Employment Sentiments and Social Inequality)</a>. The MESSI sample is designed to broadly reflect the socio-demographic, socio-economic, and geographic characteristics of the American working population.</p>
<p>I asked participants five work-related questions. To ground the MESSI in well-established benchmarks, I modelled these questions after the <a href="https://gss.norc.org/">General Social Survey</a>. </p>
<p>For each of the five questions, I identified “perception glitches” by comparing two data points: what respondents reported about their own job versus what respondents <em>believe</em> most American workers think or feel about their jobs. The distance between the two represents the perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>1. Satisfaction: All in all, how satisfied are you with your job?</strong> The MESSI finds that 79 per cent of workers feel somewhat or very satisfied with their own job, but only 49 per cent think that most Americans feel somewhat or very satisfied. That’s a 30-point perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>2. Stressed out: How often do you find your work stressful?</strong> Thirty-two per cent of workers describe their own work as highly stressful, but 69 per cent believe that most Americans are in highly stressful jobs. That’s a 37-point perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>3. Underpaid: When you think about the pay you get for your work, do you feel you are underpaid, paid about right, or overpaid?</strong> Sixty-two per cent of workers feel underpaid, but 89 per cent think that most Americans feel underpaid. That’s a 27-point perception glitch. </p>
<p><strong>4. Management-employee relations: In general, how would you describe relations in your workplace between management and employees?</strong> Fifty-seven per cent describe management-employees relations in their workplace as quite or very good, but only 22 per cent believe that most Americans experience positive management-employee relations. That’s a 35-point perception glitch.</p>
<p><strong>5. Going above and beyond: How much effort do you put into your job beyond what is required?</strong> Fifty-two per cent say they put a lot of effort into their job beyond what is required, but only 13 per cent believe that most Americans go above and beyond. That’s a 39-point perception glitch.</p>
<p>Collectively, my MESSI findings both challenge the “unhappy worker” narrative and confirm that most people believe it. </p>
<h2>‘Everything is terrible but I’m fine’</h2>
<p>These perception glitches could reflect what Thompson calls the “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/american-economy-negative-perception-inflation/661149/">everything is terrible but I’m fine</a>” mindset, or what American economist Paul Krugman calls the “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/30/opinion/american-economy-improvement-perception-data.html">yawning gulf</a>” between public perceptions of the economy and personal financial conditions. </p>
<p>They could also reflect a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/opinion/psychology-brain-biased-memory.html">cognitive bias</a> in which we pay attention to negative information about others, revealing our <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/optimism-and-pessimism">tendency toward individual optimism but social pessimism</a>. </p>
<p>My research with Paul Glavin, a sociologist at McMaster University, has started to measure the consequences of the “unhappy worker” narrative. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19053.56809">So far, we’ve discovered</a> that when Americans perceive widespread job dissatisfaction among the general public, they feel less committed to their own job and employer. Even if it’s just an illusion, there’s a misery spillover effect.</p>
<p>Moving the dials on these perception glitches might reduce the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?i=1000637232183">collective “bad vibes</a>.” These days, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/opinion/economy-crime-presidential-election.html?searchResultPosition=16">we seem resistant to good news</a> — and that extends to work as well. But a more accurate read on what most people think and feel about work might boost optimism. </p>
<p>That doesn’t negate the fact that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/11/opinion/economy-biden-vibes.html?searchResultPosition=3">many people are struggling financially</a>. And yet, after years of negative rhetoric, a <a href="https://justinmberg.com/wp-content/uploads/Berg-et-al_2023_JAP.pdf">mindset shift</a> towards believing work isn’t a necessary evil couldn’t hurt.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222492/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Scott Schieman receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>Could the adverse effects of anti-work rhetoric spread beyond one’s own job perception? A sociologist’s recent research sheds light on the question.Scott Schieman, Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2210782024-02-08T13:40:56Z2024-02-08T13:40:56ZThe myth of men’s full-time employment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572004/original/file-20240129-25-80mw1z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C46%2C5114%2C3478&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">He's not alone.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businessman-made-redundant-royalty-free-image/643678742">Image Bank/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Men’s employment in the U.S. reached a 20-year high in 2023, with <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2023/october/mens-falling-labor-force-participation-across-generations/">nearly 90%</a> of men ages 25 to 54 in the workforce, according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/labor-force-participation-rate-for-people-ages-25-to-54-in-may-2023-highest-since-january-2007.htm#:%7E:text=Among%20men%20ages%2025%20to,pandemic%20level%20in%20April%202023.">the Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>. This supports the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243216649946">broad expectation</a> – some might say stereotype – that full-time employment is the norm for American men. </p>
<p>Yet examining employment at a single point in time leaves out important information about whether people are able to maintain stable work. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231197031">Our recent study</a> of male baby boomers’ working lives – spanning more than two decades – tells a very different story. </p>
<p>In fact, men’s labor force participation has been <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300001">steadily declining</a> since the 1970s, and workers are experiencing greater labor market precarity – that is, shorter job spells, greater job insecurity and more long-term unemployment. </p>
<p>In our research <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VoDOQ44AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">as experts</a> in the study of <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zTqwiBYAAAAJ&hl=en">people’s employment</a> over time, we have <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-016-0464-z">previously challenged the myth</a> that most women “opt out” of the workforce, establishing that the majority of women work steadily and full time. That led us to suspect that the picture of men’s employment could also be incomplete.</p>
<p>To understand these long-term trends, we studied data from about 4,500 men collected over more than 25 years. We were looking for patterns in the amount of time these men spent employed, unemployed and looking for work, and out of the workforce and not looking for work. </p>
<p>We were surprised to find that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231197031">only 41%</a> of late baby boomer men – those who were between 14 and 21 years old in 1979 – worked steadily and continuously, which we defined as working almost every week of the year between ages 27 and 49. This is a cohort of men who were widely thought to have taken a “<a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Career_Mystique/dIDgkBiqMO8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=phyllis+moen+roehling&pg=PP13&printsec=frontcover">lockstep</a>” approach to work: entering the labor market when they finished their schooling and remaining employed until retirement.</p>
<p>We found most men didn’t fit this stereotype. About a quarter didn’t reach steady employment until they were nearly 50. Another quarter either found themselves increasingly unemployed and out of work as they aged or able to find only intermittent work. Finally, a smaller group of men left the labor market entirely – some leaving paid work at relatively young ages, while others leaving as they reached middle age.</p>
<p><iframe id="fh9kX" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fh9kX/5/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>Problems with precarity</h2>
<p>We don’t know exactly why these men followed such a wide range of work patterns during what economists call their “prime earning years.” But we think increasing labor market precarity – which researchers say is driven in large part by <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_State_of_Working_America/WdM77z0HUcAC?hl=en&gbpv=0">increases in layoffs</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjab012">decreases in unionization</a> – played a big role. </p>
<p>For example, we found that men who worked as “<a href="https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ1980.shtml#operator">operators, fabricators and laborers</a>” or in “<a href="https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ1980.shtml#precision">precision production, craft and repairs</a>” were at greater risk of unemployment. These are jobs that provided our own grandfathers with good, well-paying work, but they are also jobs that have become <a href="https://arnekalleberg.web.unc.edu/books/good-jobs-bad-jobs/">increasingly rare</a> since the 1970s.</p>
<p>We also found that men were at greater risk if they lived in counties with a higher unemployment rate or in states with more unionized jobs when they first entered the labor market. That latter point likely put them at greater risk of job loss <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023116656847">when those jobs went overseas</a> in the 1980s and 1990s.</p>
<p>Men who experienced unemployment, more job turnover before the age of 25 or transportation barriers to finding a good job also followed less steady work patterns, suggesting that they may have been forced to take “bad jobs” that provided fewer opportunities to move up the ladder or to earn a living wage.</p>
<p>Our findings paint a troubling portrait of employment in America. If this kind of unsteady employment characterizes the work patterns of the baby-boom generation, what awaits those of us who follow them? Is there anything we can do about it?</p>
<h2>Ideas for improvement</h2>
<p>The good news is there are solutions for workers, employers and the federal government. Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231231197031">research</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/07308884231162949">shows</a> that a college degree could protect men from the risk of unemployment or time out of work. The government can support this goal by <a href="https://www.amacad.org/sites/default/files/academy/multimedia/pdfs/publications/researchpapersmonographs/CFUE_Economic-Impact/CFUE_Economic-Impact.pdf">making college more affordable for workers</a>, as the current administration has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/10/29/a-proclamation-on-national-college-application-month-2021/">proposed doing</a>. </p>
<p>For employers, our findings suggest that making work less precarious – in other words, making it more stable, with better pay and more schedule control – would be a win-win proposition. Research suggests that employers consistently <a href="https://hbr.org/2019/06/the-financial-case-for-good-retail-jobs">underestimate the costs</a> of losing employees. Given how hard it’s been for employers to stay fully staffed – especially in retail and service work – making jobs more appealing to workers could pay off in terms of retention. </p>
<p>Walmart, for instance, has <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/12/the-right-thing-to-do">increased pay and schedule control</a> for its workers. Such moves have been shown to benefit both the employers, through the <a href="https://equitablegrowth.org/improving-u-s-labor-standards-and-the-quality-of-jobs-to-reduce-the-costs-of-employee-turnover-to-u-s-companies/">reduction in employee turnover costs</a>, and the employees, through improved work conditions and work benefits.</p>
<p>The government could also implement policy changes, such as the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/20">Protecting the Right to Organize Act</a>, to promote workers’ right to unionization, since unionization is consistently linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eeh.2017.08.003">higher wages</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122411414817">lower levels of inequality</a>. </p>
<p>We don’t think the U.S. needs the jobs that our grandfathers held to return; instead, it needs to turn today’s available jobs into good jobs. The recent National Labor Relations Board “<a href="https://www.nlrb.gov/sites/default/files/attachments/pages/node-9558/joint-employer-fact-sheet-2023.pdf">joint employer</a>” ruling, for example, should do this by making it easier for workers at national chains to unionize across franchises, which could improve the working conditions of millions of people in the service industry.</p>
<p>Finally, government can take action to make unemployment a less miserable experience. Our findings, both here and elsewhere, suggest that unemployment does considerable harm to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/07308884231162949">workers’ careers</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08982643221091775">and health</a>. <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/section-5-benefit-levels-increase-ui-benefits-to-levels-working-families-can-survive-on/">Reforming the current unemployment insurance</a> system by expanding eligibility and creating progressive wage replacement rates may make it easier for workers to <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w27574">find jobs that better fit their skill set</a>, which <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Tolls_of_Uncertainty/DkgHEAAAQBAJ?hl=en">our research</a> suggests could help them return to stable employment.</p>
<p>Our findings are the canary in a coal mine. They suggest that for future generations, steady employment may be a thing of the past. But the good news is that we can heed the warning and take steps to give everyone access to better jobs and more stable employment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Damaske receives/has received funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Science Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the American Sociological Association, and the Pennsylvania State University and its Population Research Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrianne Frech has received funding from the National Institutes of Health.</span></em></p>Think the norm is to join the workforce straight after school, work for five decades and then retire? Think again.Sarah Damaske, Professor of Sociology and Labor and Employment Relations, Penn StateAdrianne Frech, Associate Professor of Population Health, Ohio UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2207672024-02-07T13:13:44Z2024-02-07T13:13:44ZAbout a third of employees have faced bullying at work – here’s how to recognize and deal with it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573464/original/file-20240205-19-di6nqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=98%2C44%2C5541%2C3925&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bullying at work often includes a power imbalance.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/boss-unsatisfied-from-his-employee-royalty-free-image/1257003156?adppopup=true">Vladimir Vladimirov/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The phenomenon of bullying, harassment and sexual abuse in workplaces throughout North America is widespread and harmful to both individuals and organizations. In fact, bullying at work <a href="https://canadasafetycouncil.org/working-bully/">affects up to 30% of workers</a> <a href="https://workplacebullying.org/2021-wbi-survey/">over time</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=XfvKveEAAAAJ">As practitioners</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=E_FnvlkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra">and researchers</a> who study workplace violence, including bullying, harassment and sexual abuse, we define workplace bullying as <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/ca/workplace-bullying-and-mobbing-in-the-united-states-2-volumes-9781440850233/">harmful acts of mistreatment between people</a> that go beyond incivility and cross the line to intentionally causing harm.</p>
<p>Bullying behaviors range from verbally insulting or socially excluding someone to sabotaging the victim’s work, inflicting psychological terror and engaging in sexual abuse or physical aggression. Manipulation and provocation also play a role in bullying dynamics, and cyberbullying has emerged as a new form of workplace harassment. Research suggests the impacts of workplace bullying <a href="https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v15i4.1733">affect employee health and safety</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1539/joh.17-0111-OP">and the workplace overall</a>.</p>
<p>In a grocery store line, if someone invades your space, shoves you aside or threatens physical harm, the police may intervene, potentially resulting in an arrest. However, in the workplace, incidents involving bullying, assault, sexual abuse or other forms of violence are typically addressed through internal investigations. Our research suggests that treating workplace bullying as a matter of <a href="https://theconversation.com/workplace-bullying-should-be-treated-as-a-public-health-issue-190330">public health rather than employment law</a> is necessary to protect those being targeted.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man in reflective vest sits on pallet with boxes with his head leaning on his hand" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573467/original/file-20240205-29-9sbcqj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Targeted workers can experience mental and physical health problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/depressed-worker-feel-tried-after-overwork-and-royalty-free-image/1352460014">warodom changyencham/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Workplace bullying results in real harms</h2>
<p>Targets of workplace bullying often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0935-9_8">experience serious repercussions</a>, including stress and burnout, along with other <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2022.2164536">diagnosed mental health issues</a> and, in extreme cases, suicide.</p>
<p>Bullying can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0935-9_6">affect physical health</a>, with symptoms including sleep disturbances, cardiovascular diseases, body aches and pain, loss of appetite and headaches. Targets often describe an <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15051035">inability to concentrate</a>; since they’re spending time worrying about what is going to happen to them next, job performance suffers. The negative impacts can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0935-9_8">spill over to a target’s personal life</a> and affect their relationships with family and friends.</p>
<p>It’s not unusual for targeted workers to feel uncomfortable coming forward and talking about their experiences. But suffering in silence can lead to an even more <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2294">toxic climate</a> at work that can undermine your victims’ sense of security, with long-term consequences for their well-being.</p>
<h2>Personality traits of bullies and their targets</h2>
<p>Workplace bullies often target those who possess <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/beyond-cultural-competence/202306/workplace-bullies-target-self-directed-coworkers-most">qualities highly valued by employers</a>: self-sufficiency, cautiousness and innovativeness. Those targeted typically are motivated, have a kind perspective and prefer to avoid getting involved in office politics or engaging in competitive behavior. They take charge of their work and responsibilities.</p>
<p>Bullying often involves an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-10-2019-0125">imbalance of power</a>, where the perpetrator acts to obtain power and control over the target.</p>
<p>Researchers find that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2017/mar/28/the-psychology-of-a-workplace-bully">bullies tend to have</a> low self-esteem, problems with anger management and even personality disorders. Bullies often target people based on their appearance, behavior, race, religion, educational background, LGBTQ+ identity or because of perceived threats to their own career. </p>
<p>There’s no hard-and-fast profile, but males tend to exhibit more of the traits associated with bullying. Those who possess tendencies toward what psychologists call <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/basics/dark-triad">dark triad traits</a> – <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Machiavellianism">Machiavellianism</a>, subclinical <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/psychopathy">psychopathy</a> and subclinical <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-little-bit-of-narcissism-is-normal-and-healthy-heres-how-to-tell-when-it-becomes-pathological-199069">narcissism</a> – <a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-what-to-do-when-you-encounter-people-with-dark-personality-traits-at-work-192316">often gravitate toward jobs</a> that offer high levels of freedom and hierarchical structures.</p>
<h2>Are you being bullied?</h2>
<p>Have you noticed a <a href="https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/chapter/305680">decline in your emotional or physical health</a>? Is your job performance being affected? Feeling constantly stressed, anxious or demoralized are signs that something isn’t right.</p>
<p>Think about whether you feel singled out. Do you sense that you’re being isolated because of how others treat you?</p>
<p>If you do conclude you’re being bullied, your <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/202211/how-to-stop-workplace-bullying">first priority is keeping yourself safe</a>. Defending yourself against workplace bullying takes courage, but there are steps you can take to diffuse, distance and document what is happening to you.</p>
<p>In the moment when bullying is occurring, focus on trying to keep your emotions in check and avoid being reactive. For example, try to <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/psychological-distancing/">gain some psychological distance</a> in an emotionally charged situation – politely walk away, don’t engage, give yourself time to settle your emotions. Taking space by stepping away can disrupt the immediate intensity of the situation. It helps you stay in control rather than allowing a bully to force you to respond impulsively in the moment, which can lead you to say or do something you’ll regret.</p>
<p>Try your best to de-escalate the situation. Some tips for how to stop an interaction from spiraling include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using polite, firm language to ask the bully to stop the conversation.</li>
<li>Asking the bully to leave.</li>
<li>Removing yourself from the situation if the bully won’t go.</li>
<li>Informing your supervisor immediately.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you feel threatened, calmly and politely stop the interaction by <a href="https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/violence/violence_negative.html">removing yourself in a nonthreatening way</a>. As challenging as it can be, the key here is to stay composed and remain respectful.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="worker in foreground aware of two in background of warehouse scene, watching" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573468/original/file-20240205-29-9nmg1v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You can prepare yourself by thinking ahead about how to respond.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/an-industrial-warehouse-worker-being-the-target-of-royalty-free-image/1028928790">Fertnig/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How to respond to an ongoing situation</h2>
<p>It may be helpful to engage in some advanced planning with a friend or colleague. Rehearse a bullying situation and practice how you would respond to help you get comfortable <a href="https://doi.org/10.14309/ajg.0000000000002090">using emotional distancing and de-escalation</a>. Advance practice can help you handle an emotionally charged encounter.</p>
<p>Seek the support and <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-wealth/202211/how-to-stop-workplace-bullying">safety of your peers</a>. They can talk things through with you and become your allies if they are asked to describe or even testify about a bullying incident they witnessed.</p>
<p>Strive for an attitude of strength and confidence in yourself. Workplace bullies often choose to attack people they peg as easy targets. Present a strong front, trust in yourself and have confidence in your work – these attributes may make you less <a href="https://dailynurse.com/nurses-and-bullying-how-to-protect-yourself-and-your-co-workers/">likely to be targeted</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://healthyworkforceinstitute.com/5-strategies-to-protect-yourself-from-retaliation-when-you-confront-a-bully/">Document your experiences</a> when you perceive there is a problem. Be objective: Note the time and date, what happened, who was present, what was said and how it made you feel. Keeping a record helps quantify what is happening. Your organization should have <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9780429462528-19/managing-workplace-bullying-charlotte-rayner-duncan-lewis">policies and procedures</a> to support you if you believe you are being bullied at work. </p>
<p>A caveat, though: Keep in mind, human resources departments are often ill-equipped to manage these issues, and complaints may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/soc11040143">mishandled</a>, <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Bullying-and-Harassment-in-the-Workplace-Theory-Research-and-Practice/Einarsen-Hoel-Zapf-Cooper/p/book/9781138615991">improperly dismissed</a> or simply ignored. Sometimes, if you’re able, it is better to look for a new job.</p>
<p>In order to effectively tackle the problem of workplace bullying and harassment, it is important for both employees and organizations to acknowledge and actively address these concerns. By establishing policies against bullying and fostering open lines of communication, workplaces can create safer spaces that enhance the well-being and productivity of their employees.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220767/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>You’d call the police if a stranger in public did what many bullies at work get away with. 2 researchers who study workplace violence describe the widespread phenomenon.Jason Walker, Program Director & Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational and Applied Psychology, Adler UniversityDeborah Circo, Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Nebraska OmahaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2202072024-02-06T21:56:31Z2024-02-06T21:56:31ZThe motherhood pay gap: Why women’s earnings decline after having children<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572551/original/file-20240131-19-fg2aeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=760%2C416%2C7407%2C5003&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The birth of children results in large earnings losses that are not equally distributed within heterosexual couples.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Inequalities between men and women persist in many areas, with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/4ead40c7-en">women still earning less than men on average</a>. An even more striking difference is the “motherhood pay gap” that happens when women have children. Also known as the “family gap” or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20180010">child penalties</a>, women’s earnings plummet after the birth of a child, while men’s barely budge.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.12.1.137">Many studies</a> have investigated the causes of gender inequalities and concluded that women have been unable to catch up to the earnings level of men in part <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/684851">because of parenting responsibilities</a>. </p>
<p>Why does this happen? Children have a negative effect on women’s productivity in the labour market by substantially reducing their <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/human-capital">human capital</a>, which translates into a significant <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/260293">decrease in their earnings</a>. </p>
<p>After the birth of children, mothers tend to turn towards part-time jobs, roles with flexible working hours or positions that offer work conditions more favourable to family life — all of which tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/23.5.543">pay lower wages</a>.</p>
<p>Employers, in return, may see part-time employees as less committed and productive, especially when relying on <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/heuristics">heuristics</a> — mental shortcuts for solving problems — to judge worker quality, as opposed to actual information about their performance. This can result in <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2911397">fewer bonuses and promotions</a> for these employees. </p>
<h2>The effects of parenthood</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20180010">Evidence from Denmark</a>, one of the most egalitarian countries in the world, points to a long-term child penalty of around 20 per cent in earnings. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2023-015">Our research</a> reveals a similar situation in Canada. We used data from Statistics Canada’s Longitudinal and International Study of Adults coupled with historical administrative records from 1982 to 2018. </p>
<p>We compared what happened to men’s and women’s earnings after the birth of their first child for Canadians who had their first child between 1987 and 2009. Using an event study methodology, we followed individuals’ employment income over a period of five years before the birth of the child to 10 years after.</p>
<p>We observed large and persistent negative effects of parenthood for mothers, but not fathers. Mothers’ earnings decrease by 49 per cent the year of birth, with a penalty of 34.3 per cent 10 years after. Fathers’ earnings appear largely unaffected.</p>
<h2>Unequal effects of children</h2>
<p>The birth of children results in large earnings losses that are not equally distributed within heterosexual couples. Fathers stay on the same earnings track, while women experience penalties that persist over the years. This is especially true for <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2023-015">mothers of multiple children or those with a lower education level</a>. </p>
<p>This impoverishment triggered by the birth of a child can have significant economic impacts <a href="https://espace.inrs.ca/id/eprint/13576">should the couple separate</a>. In Canada, nearly <a href="https://doi.org/10.25318/3910005101-eng">one-third of marriages</a> end in divorce. </p>
<p>Women are typically <a href="https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.50">financially disadvantaged</a> following a separation. This disadvantage may be attributable to pre-separation factors, such as the unequal division of labour during the marriage and lower earnings for women, but also to women’s prolonged absences from the labour force due to family responsibilities.</p>
<h2>Equal pay for equal work</h2>
<p>In this context, it’s crucial to ask ourselves if there are measures that could eliminate, or at least reduce, the economic impact associated with family responsibilities on mothers’ earnings and employment. </p>
<p>We investigated the role of family policies, since they were in part designed to encourage maternal employment and promote more equal sharing of parenting responsibilities between partners. </p>
<p>Specifically, we focused on the extension of parental leaves in Canada and the introduction of <a href="https://www.mfa.gouv.qc.ca/en/services-de-garde/programme-contribution-reduite/Pages/index.aspx">reduced contribution child-care services for families in Québec</a>. We found suggestive evidence that these policies can help reduce child penalties. </p>
<p>“Equal pay for equal work” policies, such as the federal government’s <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/jobs/workplace/human-rights/overview-pay-equity-act.html">Pay Equity Act</a>, also have the potential to make a substantial difference. These policies can raise the fairness and attractiveness of the labour market for women and reduce the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20160995">potentially negative impact of experience-based pay</a> for mothers. </p>
<h2>More benefits down the line</h2>
<p>In addition to having a positive effect on the economic situation of women, encouraging employment for mothers could help eliminate the stigma around the division of labour within couples by exposing children to a more symmetrical model of remunerated and unpaid work. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017018760167">recent study</a> using data from 29 countries showed that employed mothers were more likely to transmit egalitarian values to their children both at work and at home. Girls with employed mothers ended up working more themselves: they worked more hours, were better paid and held supervisory positions more often than girls with stay-at-home mothers. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A toddler sits on the lap of a women, presumably her mother, in front of a desk. She is smiling and touching a laptop while her mother smiles down at her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573140/original/file-20240202-17-6ybyzo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Employed mothers are more likely to transmit egalitarian values to their children both at work and at home.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The result was not observed in boys. However, boys who grew up with employed mothers were more involved in family and domestic responsibilities as adults than men whose mothers were not in the labour market. The girls also spent less time doing household chores. </p>
<p>Working mothers appear to have an intergenerational impact favouring gender equality, both within the family and in the labour market.</p>
<p>We all know raising children is time-consuming. Children, of course, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/675070">benefit from this parental time investment</a>. But bringing up children is also costly. Our research quantified one kind of cost: the lower earnings trajectory. Knowing how these costs are shared among the two parents is key to enable better decision making, for policymakers, but ultimately, for parents, future parents and their children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220207/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marie Connolly received funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture and CIRANO. The analysis in this article was conducted at the Quebec Inter-university Centre for Social Statistics, which is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Statistics Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture, the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé and Québec universities.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Haeck received funding from the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture and CIRANO. The analysis in this article was conducted at the Quebec Inter-university Centre for Social Statistics, which is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Statistics Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture, the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé and Québec universities.</span></em></p>New research shows that women’s earnings are negatively impacted by having children, while men’s aren’t. The effects can be long-lasting and contribute to the gender pay gap.Marie Connolly, Professor of Economics, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Catherine Haeck, Full Professor, Economics Department, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2190892024-01-25T16:08:07Z2024-01-25T16:08:07ZWomen still face gender inequalities at work post-pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570242/original/file-20240118-17-dxb1tf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1535%2C26%2C4419%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women are still feeling the effects of COVID-19 , which resulted in job losses and reduced opportunities for women in the workforce.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/women-still-face-gender-inequalities-at-work-post-pandemic" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic brought the longstanding economic inequalities between women and men into sharp focus. From the onset of the pandemic, up until the summer of 2022, <a href="https://theconversation.com/women-are-struggling-to-regain-lost-ground-in-the-workforce-after-covid-19-192313">economic gender gaps continued to widen</a>. </p>
<p>Lockdowns and economic uncertainties created a perfect storm, leading to job losses and reduced opportunities for women in the workforce. The increased burden of caregiving responsibilities placed an additional strain on women, often forcing them to make difficult choices between their careers and family obligations. </p>
<p>The situation peaked in 2020 when <a href="https://thoughtleadership.rbc.com/pandemic-threatens-decades-of-womens-labour-force-gains/">women’s workforce participation plummeted to levels not seen since the 1980s</a>. This decline marked a concerning setback in the progress women had collectively made in the workplace over the past few decades.</p>
<p>Now, looking back at how these gender inequalities have evolved since 2022, the overall picture is a bit more complex. The most recent data from <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410001701">Statistics Canada</a> shows that, while gender inequalities remain fairly large between women and men, there are also some exceptions.</p>
<h2>Inequality in the labour force</h2>
<p>Economists refer to people who look for paid work as being “in the labour force.” In terms of men and women who were looking for paid work in 2023, gender inequalities have not changed since the previous year.</p>
<p>Like in 2022, men are still more likely than women to be in the labour force in 2023. By November 2023, 71 per cent of men were looking for paid work, compared to only 61 per cent of women.</p>
<p>What accounts for this gender gap? Women’s absence in the labour force is often referred to as a personal choice for taking care of children. Many couples, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/231205/dq231205a-eng.htm">faced with high childcare costs</a>, decide that one parent should stay home. Given that <a href="https://canadianwomen.org/the-facts/the-gender-pay-gap/">men’s take-home pay exceeds women’s</a>, this parent usually ends up being the mother in heterosexual relationships.</p>
<p>However, what is sidestepped in framing this as a choice are the broader societal conditions that contribute to this choice. Women’s absence from the labour force is often not a choice, but the result of factors outside their control. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The silhouette of a woman sitting with her head resting against her hand while a toddler plays in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570233/original/file-20240118-27-mqijkh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While women leaving the workforce to take care of children is often framed as a personal choice, there are usually other factors at play.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A good example is the high cost of childcare, which the federal government is trying to address with its <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/child-care.html">$10-a-day childcare plan</a>. While some cities have seen childcare fees drop as a result, <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/10048549/canada-child-care-fees-report/">others are still falling short</a> of the federal government’s target.</p>
<p>Another contributing factor is the <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220125/dq220125a-eng.htm">undervaluation of professions that tend to consist primarily of women</a>, like nursing and care work, even though they provide services crucial for society, as anyone who has been to the emergency department knows. </p>
<h2>Gender and unemployment</h2>
<p>When it comes to unemployment, the gender gap has dramatically changed: fewer women were unemployed in 2023 than men. In November 2023, five per cent of women in the labour force were unemployed, compared to six per cent of men. </p>
<p>This is a reversal from 2022, when <em>more</em> women were unemployed than men. While a gender gap in unemployment still exists, it now favours women slightly.</p>
<p>Shifting focus to employed individuals and the gender gaps in both part-time and full-time employment, the data shows that men in the labour force are more likely to have full-time jobs than women. In November 2023, 82 per cent of men in the labour force worked full time, compared to slightly less than 72 per cent of women. </p>
<p>Men, like women, worked less full-time in 2023 than in 2022; however, the decrease in full-time work has been most pronounced for men. In August 2022, 84 per cent of men in the labour force held full-time jobs, compared to slightly more than 72 per cent of women. The gender gap in full-time work continues to favour men, although it is narrowing.</p>
<p>The opposite is true for part-time work — women continue to work part-time more than men, with 23 per cent of women working part-time, compared to 13 per cent of men. This is an increase from 2022, when 21 per cent of women and 10 per cent of men worked part-time.</p>
<p>Overall, the gender gap in part-time work continues to favour women: women are still more likely to work part-time than men. </p>
<h2>Burden of childcare</h2>
<p>Statistics Canada’s data on why people work part-time sheds light on the gender gap in part-time work. In November 2023, slightly less than 27 per cent of women aged 25 to 54 worked part-time because they cared for children, compared to only 4.5 per cent of men. </p>
<p>This gender gap has widened since August 2022, when nearly seven per cent of men worked part-time because of caregiving, compared to a bit more than 27 per cent of women. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A middle-aged man washing dishes at a kitchen sink while holding a toddler in one arm" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570219/original/file-20240118-23-ebhqc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Only four per cent of men worked part-time because they care for children in 2023.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The slight drop in women working part-time due to caregiving could be explained by the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2021/12/a-canada-wide-early-learning-and-child-care-plan.html">Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan</a>, which made childcare more affordable.</p>
<p>Traditionally, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-elections-matter-national-child-care-plan-could-create-workplace-gender-equality-169307">social norms hold women, not men, as the primary caregivers</a>. These norms could explain why fathers, more than mothers, stop working part-time because of caregiving when affordable childcare becomes available. However, research is necessary to provide a definitive answer.</p>
<p>Policy interventions, workplace reforms and community support are pivotal in creating an environment that empowers women to participate in the workforce and men to participate in carework at home. </p>
<p>Initiatives that address the root causes of gender disparities, such as affordable childcare, can contribute to levelling the playing field. Moreover, workplaces can help level the playing field by <a href="https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2023/12/05/workplace-culture-is-preventing-men-from-taking-paternity-leave-writes-claudine-mangen.html">enabling and encouraging fathers to take paternity leaves</a>. By understanding the factors at play and actively working towards solutions, we can work towards addressing and rectifying gender inequalities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219089/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Claudine Mangen receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>The most recent data from Statistics Canada shows that, while gender inequalities in the workplace remain fairly large between women and men, there are some notable exceptions.Claudine Mangen, RBC Professor in Responsible Organizations and Full Professor, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2169702024-01-25T13:18:02Z2024-01-25T13:18:02ZThinking about work as a calling can be meaningful, but there can be unexpected downsides as well<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568740/original/file-20240110-17-o199g3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C8057%2C5408&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A sense of calling can provide workers a feeling of higher purpose in their jobs.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/emotional-woman-feels-happy-to-finish-working-on-royalty-free-image/1728919751?phrase=personally+rewarding+work&searchscope=image%2Cfilm&adppopup=true">megaflopp/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many Americans – especially young adults – want to do work that feels meaningful. Creating meaning for oneself may be especially important as fewer workplaces <a href="https://today.duke.edu/2023/03/managers-exploit-loyal-workers-over-less-committed-colleagues">provide good pay</a> and benefits to their employees. </p>
<p><a href="https://news.rice.edu/news/2023/religious-calling-job-can-motivate-employees-might-result-mistreatment-going-unaddressed">Those who are religious or spiritual</a> often want to connect their faith to their work through a sense of calling. But there can be unexpected downsides for those who do so. People who say they feel “called” report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2336-z">better work and life satisfaction</a>, but they may also be less likely to address workplace problems or unfair treatment when it arises. </p>
<h2>Faith in workplaces</h2>
<p>As <a href="https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/elaine-howard-ecklund">scholars</a> <a href="https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/denise-daniels/">who study</a> <a href="https://rplp.rice.edu/people/brenton-kalinowski">religion in the workplace</a>, we have found that about 1 in 5 American workers agree with the statement, “I see my work as a spiritual calling.” Most of those who see their work in this way link it to religious sensibilities and practices. </p>
<p>Even though faith can be deeply connected to work, there are few comprehensive studies on this topic. In 2018 and again in 2021, we gathered responses from across the United States on how people see their faith in relation to their work. </p>
<p>Over 15,000 people representing a cross section of American adults filled out our surveys. These respondents included individuals from many different faith traditions and also those who did not follow a religious tradition. We also conducted in-depth interviews with over 250 of our survey-takers. </p>
<p>We found that 53% of Americans who feel called to their work are “very satisfied” with their current job compared with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11060287">39% of those who do not feel called</a>. </p>
<h2>Religious calling in work</h2>
<p>The “concept of calling” has roots in Christian history, where people felt called to serve the church. More recently, calling has been extended to a possibility for any person in any job that serves the world.</p>
<p>There is no widely agreed-upon definition of what a modern-day spiritual calling might entail. Business scholars <a href="https://hankamer.baylor.edu/person/mitchell-j-neubert">Mitchell Neubert</a> and <a href="https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/175560.pdf">Katie Halbesleben</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2336-z">define it as</a> “a summons from God to approach work with a sense of purpose and a pursuit of excellence in work practices.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman seated on a chair, with two other coworkers, laughs while having a conversation." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568746/original/file-20240110-27-l3svwn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Viewing work as a calling has a positive effect on mental health and well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/businesswoman-laughing-with-coworkers-while-working-royalty-free-image/1129490276?phrase=joy+at+work">Thomas Barwick/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Findings that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/socrel/advance-article/doi/10.1093/socrel/srad010/7160374">relate calling to positive workplace outcomes</a> are consistent with previous research that shows viewing work as a calling has a positive effect on worker satisfaction, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027517706984">mental health</a> and well-being, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167899391010">feeling one’s talents are being well used</a>. As one respondent whom we interviewed told us, “I definitely feel more fulfilled in my work because of my faith, and vice versa. I feel like I’m being a better Christian by doing the work that I do …”</p>
<p>Yet, less is known about the specifics of how people see their work as a calling. Interviews we conducted found that a sense of calling provides workers with higher purpose in their work, especially when facing work that is either extremely challenging or mundane. </p>
<p>For example, teachers talked about dealing with the bureaucracy of state educational systems, and medical service workers discussed the daily grind of mopping floors and handling bodily waste. However, despite the challenges of their work, these people also acknowledged that they were able to get through the day-to-day aspects of their jobs because they felt spiritually called to their work.</p>
<h2>Being called to work has downsides</h2>
<p>There is reason to be cautious, however, in touting the advantages of viewing work as a calling without also considering the detrimental effects that can emerge. </p>
<p>For example, people who feel that God intended them to be in their current workplace or industry might be more disposed to stay in their current role regardless of <a href="https://news.rice.edu/news/2023/religious-calling-job-can-motivate-employees-might-result-mistreatment-going-unaddressed">unfair treatment</a> or working conditions that take advantage of them, such as being underpaid or overworked. Specifically, in previous work we found that people who do feel called to their work report higher job satisfaction – even when they are experiencing discrimination – than people who do not feel called to their work. </p>
<p>A sense of calling may make people less likely to initiate changes to problematic workplace situations. Indeed, as we found in our research, those who view their work as a calling but also perceive discrimination in the workplace report being less likely to speak up in these situations compared with those who do not attach the same meaning to their work. </p>
<p>This can be especially detrimental for those of racial and religious minority groups who are more likely to experience discrimination at work in the first place. As one woman who works in government told us, “It is difficult being an African American woman in my field, so my faith allows me to step back sometimes and remove myself from the situation.” </p>
<p>This also shows how religion may help individuals cope with discrimination at work, but sometimes in a way that could detract from actively seeking change.</p>
<h2>The double-edged sword</h2>
<p>Experiencing work as a calling can be a double-edged sword. Because those who feel called to their work <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12842">have a high level of commitment to their jobs</a>, they tend to be more likely to tolerate, endure or ignore work situations that are unreasonable, inequitable or even discriminatory. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A young Black teacher, looking tired, at his desk in a classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568747/original/file-20240110-27-2v3nml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Surveys have found that workers who believe in calling are more likely to tolerate exploitative situations.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/tired-teacher-royalty-free-image/1134698169?phrase=overworked+teacher&adppopup=true">shironosov/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>According to organizational ethics scholars <a href="https://olin.wustl.edu/faculty/j-bunderson">Stuart Bunderson</a> and <a href="https://sorensencenter.byu.edu/directory/jeffery-thompson">Jeffery Thompson</a>, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27749305">workers who feel called to their jobs are</a> “more likely to see their work as a moral duty, and to sacrifice pay, personal time and comfort for their work.” Thus, it can become easier for organizations to exploit these employees, whether they do so intentionally or unintentionally. </p>
<p>Having and being led by a sense of calling is also linked to financial stability. According to our data, 68% of people who do not feel called to their work agree that “the primary reason” they do the work is to make money. In comparison, 47% of those who experience a sense of calling view making money as their primary reason for working.</p>
<p>The discrepancy could also speak to gender, race and class privileges. In her research on the “passion principle” – the idea that Americans feel the need to follow their passion and choose jobs they find fascinating, intriguing or fulfilling – sociologist <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/soc/people/faculty/erin-cech.html">Erin Cech</a> notes how the concept of pursuing paid work that one loves or feels called to can inadvertently foster <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520303232/the-trouble-with-passion">structural and cultural inequalities</a>. According to Cech, race and class can influence the freedom to choose their work. Not surprisingly, Cech found that white, upper-class men who did not need to worry about money as much enjoyed the most liberty to do so.</p>
<p>Our research also shows that when workers see their job as a spiritual calling, it can blind them to the difficulties others experience at work. They may be less able to empathize with those who feel stuck in their job because of money concerns, are unhappy or unfulfilled in their work, or are struggling to find a job. </p>
<p>Our surveys reveal that 60% of those who view their work as a calling agree that “anyone can find a good job if they try hard enough,” whereas only 49% of those who <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11060287">do not view their work as a calling concur</a>.</p>
<p>Based on these findings, we suggest that leaders in organizations can help cultivate a sense of calling in workers by helping them identify their particular gifts and interests and facilitate their development along these pathways. At the same time, they can and should encourage feedback that can lead to a healthier workplace for everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216970/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elaine Howard Ecklund receives funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. a foundation that funds research on faith at work. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Denise Daniels receives funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc., a foundation that funds research on faith at work.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brenton Kalinowski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many workers who see their work as a spiritual calling wind up tolerating unfair treatment and poor work conditions.Elaine Howard Ecklund, Professor of Sociology and Director of The Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance, Rice UniversityBrenton Kalinowski, PhD Candidate, Rice UniversityDenise Daniels, Hudson T. Harrison Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship, Wheaton College (Illinois)Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2202062024-01-23T22:05:11Z2024-01-23T22:05:11ZThe green-eyed monster: How embracing jealousy at work can make you more productive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570241/original/file-20240118-19-f9zhqx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C47%2C5198%2C3439&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Organizations are often the perfect breeding grounds for jealousy or fearing the loss of a valued relationship.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-green-eyed-monster-how-embracing-jealousy-at-work-can-make-you-more-productive" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Instances of negative emotions, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08863680122098298">such as jealousy,</a> are frequent in the workplace. Perhaps your boss just complimented your co-worker on a job well done while ignoring your contributions to a project. Or maybe your new mentee asked to transfer to another supervisor.</p>
<p>Although employees are often expected to ignore or, at minimum, leave such feelings unrecognized, they arise in any social setting. </p>
<p>In fact, organizations are often the perfect breeding grounds for jealousy (i.e., fearing the loss of a valued relationship). Resources are scarce, competition is fierce and maintaining favour with the right people is often critical in moving up in your career. </p>
<p>However, employees are often unsure about what to do with such negative social emotions. Simply ignoring negative emotions or letting them fester has been shown to lead to detrimental outcomes, from <a href="https://doi.org/10.2174%2F1745017901006010053">anxiety</a> to <a href="https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS429088">burnout</a>. </p>
<p>On the other hand, addressing these emotions with actions such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2003.07.001">sabotage and revenge</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08959285.2015.1021040">social undermining</a> is also unproductive — at least in the long term. </p>
<p>Our research suggests a different approach may be warranted, and even fruitful: embrace the emotion. When employees are able to reconceptualize jealousy as a motivating force, this opens up new (and more positive) venues to address, overcome, and even capitalize on the feeling.</p>
<h2>How jealousy develops at work</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0299">Our theoretical research</a> set out to lay the groundwork for understanding how jealousy develops in the workplace. Our work suggests employees are more likely to feel threatened when they feel insecure about their skillset, are highly dependent on their supervisors for validation and support, and have experienced mistrust in the past.</p>
<p>When employees lack confidence in their abilities, they may see colleagues as threats, leading to feelings of inadequacy. This can be exacerbated when employees fear losing favour or recognition from their supervisors, which can create a competitive and hostile atmosphere at work.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man stands in the foreground looking over his shoulder while a group of people sit together at a table behind him" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570398/original/file-20240119-23-snx2o5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If an employee believes their colleagues have more in common with supervisors than they do, it can result in feelings of exclusion and alienation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a workplace where there are few good supervisors, centralized power dynamics, and an employee suspects their co-worker has more in common with their supervisor than they do, the environment has all the pieces needed to create a minefield of jealousy.</p>
<p>When not managed properly, jealousy can have detrimental effects on both individual well-being and overall team dynamics in the workplace. Understanding the roots of this emotion is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate its impact and foster a healthier work environment.</p>
<h2>Leveraging jealousy at work</h2>
<p>Emotions researchers have long noted the difference between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.67.3.525">high- and low-activation emotions</a>. For instance, when faced with jealousy, an intense emotion like anger (considered high-activation) is more likely to lead to action than a less intense emotion like sadness (considered low-activation).</p>
<p>Employees who are able to tap into activation responses can leverage seemingly negative situations to spur their own positive reactions. This means figuring out how they can maintain valued relationships by ensuring their contributions to the workplace are valued, recognized and rewarded. </p>
<p>Consider the scenario of your boss recognizing the work of your colleague over yours. You have two choices: you can either see this recognition as a sign that your boss doesn’t care for you or doesn’t value your work, in which case you might feel disappointed and discouraged, and assume there is little you can do to change your boss’ mind. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A women who is seated at a desk gestures to her computer screen while a man looks over her shoulder at the screen" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570240/original/file-20240118-17-87ai3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If jealousy is conceptualized as a call to action, you can make strides in advancing your status yourself.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the other hand, you might see this as a sign that your boss needs to be reminded of the great work you’re doing and assume there is quite a bit you can do to change your situation. </p>
<p>If jealousy is conceptualized as a call to action, you can make strides in advancing your status yourself. Perhaps you need to better communicate your group contributions to your boss, or maybe you need to step up and take on the role of a project lead. </p>
<h2>Workplace relationships</h2>
<p>Another critical point to consider is <em>why</em> you’re feeling jealousy. What does this relationship signify to your standing in your organization? How dependent are you upon that relationship (whether with your boss or your colleague) and are there ways to mitigate this dependence? </p>
<p>Studies show that we view the supervisor-subordinate relationship as <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/258314">the most central dyadic unit within an organization</a>. Because of this, we often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.48.6.621">direct the bulk of our attention to that relationship</a>, rather than spreading our time and efforts more widely. </p>
<p>One valuable insight jealousy can bring us is pushing us to consider our workplace relationships: are there other relationships that we can cultivate, in case the present one doesn’t pan out? </p>
<p>This is where networking and relationship-building comes into play — making it a surprising, but effective, buffer to workplace jealousy.</p>
<p>Experiencing negative emotions like jealousy and envy at work is common. Instead of trying to hide or ignore such emotions, which may seem expected in a professional setting, consider reframing them. Viewing such emotions as a means to motivate yourself and expand your thinking will ultimately lead to better outcomes for all parties involved.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220206/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When employees are able to reconceptualize jealousy as a motivating force, this opens up new venues to address, overcome, and even capitalize on the feeling.Meena Andiappan, Associate Professor of Human Resources and Management, McMaster UniversityLucas Dufour, Assistant Professor of Human Resources Management and Organizational Behaviour, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205372024-01-22T22:32:59Z2024-01-22T22:32:59ZYoung Black men in Canada face racism, ageism and classism when looking for work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569965/original/file-20240117-19-skld11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5372%2C3581&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black people in Canada continue experiencing oppression and dehumanization because of how their skin colour is viewed and represented.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/young-black-men-in-canada-face-racism-ageism-and-classism-when-looking-for-work" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Youth employment in Canada continues to be a concern. Young people between the ages of 15 and 30 <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/42-28-0001/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm">are less likely to find and sustain employment compared to an older population of Canadians</a>.</p>
<p>According to Statistics Canada, around 11 per cent of youth aged 15-24 are unemployed. Among young Black Canadians that number is around <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240105/dq240105a-eng.htm">17.5 per cent</a>.</p>
<p>Black people in Canada continue experiencing oppression and dehumanization <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12400">because of how their skin colour is viewed and represented</a>.</p>
<p>Impoverished Black male youth in particular encounter racism, ageism, classism and gender biases when looking for work. These are stereotypes which encourage many Canadian employers to view them as not good for business and unemployable.</p>
<h2>Intersecting oppressions</h2>
<p>As a sociocultural anthropologist who is dedicated to uncovering the nuances in Black youth un(der)employment, I have found that impoverished Black youths’ inability to find employment is due to <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/intersectionality-as-critical-social-theory">intersectional oppressions</a> such as ageism and classism, which is also tied to their Blackness. </p>
<p>The challenges they face vary among different Canadian cities. In my <a href="https://repository.library.carleton.ca/concern/etds/xg94hq41j">doctoral study</a> about impoverished Black male youth in Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto, I found these youth are denied employment opportunities for multifaceted reasons. These include discrimination based on a person’s address, age, classism and gender biases — particularly about the negative stereotypical ideas that surround Black manhood. </p>
<p>The sociological study focused on Black male youth between the ages of 15 to 29 who live in low income areas between Montréal, Toronto and Ottawa. The qualitative study gathered data from 21 young Black men through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. </p>
<p>Political philosopher <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/toward-the-african-revolution/">Frantz Fanon</a> warned us of the dangers of recognizing Black people’s experiences as one. Black people have differences that contribute to their humanness, which the colonizer has denied.</p>
<p>Similarly, when we presume all youth have the same experiences, we fail to take diversity seriously and may be falsely interpreting the lived experiences of many youth. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young Black man working on a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young Black men face overlapping forms of discrimination based on racist and classist views of Black masculinity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There was never one reason, such as anti-Black racism, which was the cause of employment barriers among these young people. The reality is these youth experience overlapping discrimination that are tied to anti-Black racism, such as classism, which varied based on different encounters with various employers.</p>
<p>My study found that impoverished Black male youth are tied to a socially manufactured hierarchical system that considers race, gender, sexuality, ability, age, social class and education. Unfortunately, employers excluded them because of the many intersections that make up their identities.</p>
<p>Although the Canadian government recognizes Black youth face barriers to employment, <a href="https://www.miragenews.com/minister-marci-ien-supports-black-youth-955894/">few politicians recognize that more needs to be done to create inclusivity in the workplace</a>. The lived experiences of impoverished Black male youth and their ability to access employment are not the same nationwide. </p>
<h2>Secularism laws impact opportunities</h2>
<p>My study also found that many Black male youth in Montréal are also at the mercy of Québec’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-supposed-benefits-of-quebec-secularism-bill-dont-outweigh-the-costs-114907">secularism law</a>. Black male youth in the city must deal with classism and constantly being tied to the unworthy idea that they do not serve many employees’ needs. This is based on the stereotypical ideas of what their Black masculinity represents. </p>
<p>Some of these young people adorn religious clothing, which has complicated their job-seeking strategies. Many young Black men living in the province <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2023/elghawaby-quebec-double-standard/">face discrimination based on their religious values</a> and their clothing or attire was a reason they were overlooked for employment.</p>
<p>These secularism laws are an added issue for impoverished Black male youth seeking employment, as many of them do not feel a sense of belonging, and are constantly faced with intersecting social oppressions where they are overlooked for employment opportunities. </p>
<p>We must realize that some laws and policies may be suitable for some Canadians. But in an effort to create legislation, there is a disregard for the social concerns of those who have been othered. Creating laws without considering them adds to a sense that they do not belong in this country.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Black teenage boy carrying a backpack poses for a photo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black men and boys must continuously confront racist narratives that impact their future prospects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Thinking through Black masculinity</h2>
<p>For years, Black Canadian scholars such as <a href="https://edu.yorku.ca/edu-profiles/index.php?mid=2196">Carl James</a>, <a href="https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/sociology/people/tamari-kitossa/">Tamari Kitossa</a> and myself have discussed Black masculinities in Canada and how Black men are seen as dangerous, untrustworthy men undeserving of a sense of belonging in the white settler nation-state. </p>
<p><a href="https://ualbertapress.ca/9781772125436/appealing-because-he-is-appalling/">These historical narratives continue to inform our present day society</a>, which has complicated how impoverished young Black men seek and obtain employment. Failing to recognize these tensions among young Black men is distancing ourselves from the lived experiences rooted in history, which are playing out in our contemporary moments.</p>
<p>The young Black men I spoke to courageously shared what it means to seek employment while having to negotiate your right to be treated fairly. When these young men do eventually obtain employment, they are often trapped in low-paying, menial labour positions reflective of unfair stereotypes about Black masculinity.</p>
<p>This type of work degrades their humanity and selfhood. The dehumanization faced by these youth when they attempt to seek employment demonstrates how they are othered not solely by their race.</p>
<p>For there to be equitable hiring practices, governments and employers must understand anti-Black racism in light of the intertwined forms of discrimination that often accompany it. </p>
<p>Homogenizing the lived experiences of Black youth can cause harm and promote misconceptions about their lived experiences. I urge people to refrain from thinking about racialized people based on their race alone. Instead, we should intentionally focus on the individuality of people. We must practice cultural competency which invites us to appreciate people and their different lived experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Warren Clarke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young Black men are being denied employment for multifaceted reasons, and when they do find work, are often trapped in low-paying jobs.Warren Clarke, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, University of ManitobaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205272024-01-18T20:47:15Z2024-01-18T20:47:15ZEmployers should use skill-based hiring to find hidden talent and address labour challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568966/original/file-20240111-21-gkyv31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C26%2C5928%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employers can address qualification inflation by implementing skill-based recruitment and selection practices.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/employers-should-use-skill-based-hiring-to-find-hidden-talent-and-address-labour-challenges" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>A concerning trend known as qualification inflation has been plaguing hiring practices for years. Qualification inflation — also known as degree inflation — refers to the growing number of employers requiring degrees and extensive experience for jobs.</p>
<p>As highlighted in a <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/dismissed-by-degrees.pdf">2017 Harvard study</a>, job listings now often demand that applicants have degrees and experiences that were previously unnecessary, with some job requirements even surpassing the qualifications of current employees.</p>
<p>Of the 11.6 million jobs created between 2010 and 2016, three out of four required a bachelor’s degree or higher, and one out of every 100 required a high school diploma or less.</p>
<p>This qualification inflation increases employer costs through longer recruitment times and wage premiums, and makes it more difficult to create diverse workplaces, <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">another Harvard study</a> found. This study showed that marginalized people, women and younger people were less likely to have the required degrees and experience. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified">women are less likely to apply</a> for jobs if they don’t have all of the listed qualifications. Because of this, having unnecessary requirements may disproportionately discourage them from applying to jobs.</p>
<p>The origins of qualification inflation can be traced back to the rise of online application platforms and <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/02/skills-based-hiring-is-on-the-rise">the 2008-09 financial crisis</a>, both of which resulted in larger job applicant pools. Economic and <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">technological shifts</a> have also given rise to new roles that require unique skills. </p>
<p>Some employers adapted to these changes by adding qualifications to job listings without removing outdated ones, leading to qualification inflation. While this has been an ongoing issue for years, it is becoming increasingly urgent as <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2023009-eng.htm">many Canadian businesses are reportedly grappling with</a> recruitment and retention challenges.</p>
<h2>Job analysis and advertising</h2>
<p>There are ways for employers to address qualification inflation, namely by implementing skill-based recruitment and selection practices to hire qualified and diverse employees. To begin with, organizations should conduct thorough job analyses before posting listings by determining a job’s core skills and characteristics.</p>
<p>Open-source resources like <a href="https://www.onetonline.org/">the Occupational Information Network</a> and <a href="https://noc.esdc.gc.ca/">the National Occupational Classification</a> can provide a good starting point for companies. However, manager and employee involvement is also necessary to ensure jobs are aligned with organizational needs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A magnifying glass hovering over a newspaper page that says 'Jobs Wanted.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Organizations should conduct thorough job analyses before posting listings by determining a job’s core skills and characteristics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To create a compelling job advertisement that also incorporates accurate skill and qualification needs from job analyses, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9353-x">our research</a> shows that ads should explain how the job will meet applicants’ psychological needs (autonomy, variety and purpose). </p>
<p>We also recommend job postings state that applicants will be considered if they have transferable skills from different job families or industries. Providing a list of example job titles with potentially transferable skills is a helpful addition.</p>
<h2>Skill-based screening</h2>
<p>Another way employers can address qualification inflation is by using skill-based screening. These assessments are designed to evaluate the skills of a job applicant to determine if they are the right fit for a role.</p>
<p>Asking applicants to self-report their proficiency levels for certain skills during the application process is one screening approach employers can take, but it should be managed cautiously. As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-022-09847-7">our research shows</a>, some applicants may exaggerate their skill level if they are in the midst of a lengthy job search.</p>
<p>We found that applicants inflated their self-assessments of behavioural skills (e.g., customer service) compared to technical skills (e.g., programming) because behavioural skills can be difficult to verify. Because of this, focusing self-reports on technical skills may mitigate applicant exaggeration and help identify talented applicants without degrees.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person holds two resumes up beside one another" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Skill-based assessments are designed to evaluate the skills of an applicant to determine if they are the right fit for a role.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000463">Our research</a> also shows that overclaiming assessments — a type of questionnaire that asks applicants to rate their familiarity with both real and fictitious skills — can identify applicants who are faking responses, as well as those who are providing more accurate self-assessments.</p>
<p>Forced-choice competency and skill assessments, which usually require applicants to rank equally-desirable statements about their job-relevant skills, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001099">can also reduce faking and exaggeration</a>.</p>
<h2>Skill-based hiring</h2>
<p>After identifying a shortlist of qualified applicants, employers can then use more in-depth assessments. The first type of assessments are job knowledge or skill tests. Many off-the-shelf tests have been developed for a wide variety of technical skills, ranging from knowledge of Microsoft Word to contract law.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000994">Research shows that work sample assessments</a> — providing applicants with a sample of the actual work performed on the job — are one of the most valid selection procedures. However, employers should ensure assessments are not too time-consuming so applicants don’t feel like they’re doing free work for the company.</p>
<p>Personality assessments can provide a more holistic picture of the applicant. Validated, forced-choice personality assessments can reduce applicant faking or exaggeration, which is a significant concern when applicants are responding to a personality assessment for a job they really want.</p>
<p>Finally, structured interviews, where the same set of job-relevant questions are posed to each candidate and detailed scoring guides allow interviewers to reliably assess candidate responses, can provide valid information about the candidate’s skills. </p>
<p>Interviews are probably <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.5.897">best suited to evaluate behavioural skills</a>. If an interviewer has already used some of the technical skill assessments suggested in this piece, they can devote most of the interview to assessing an applicant’s behavioural and social competencies.</p>
<p>Skill-based hiring can help address problems associated with qualification inflation, while revealing previously hidden talent and providing diverse applicants with access to quality jobs that were once out of reach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220527/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph Schmidt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Bourdage receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Job listings now often demand that applicants have degrees and experiences that were previously unnecessary, with some job requirements even surpassing the qualifications of current employees.Joseph Schmidt, Professor of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour, University of SaskatchewanJoshua Bourdage, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2099622024-01-15T19:18:02Z2024-01-15T19:18:02ZWorking from home since COVID-19? Cabin fever could be the next challenge<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568741/original/file-20240110-25-1xi2zx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C92%2C5590%2C3640&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Being confined to our homes for long periods without access to different activities can expose teleworkers to cabin fever.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/working-from-home-since-covid-19-cabin-fever-could-be-the-next-challenge" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As Canada opened back up after the COVID-19 lockdowns, many businesses encouraged their workers to head back to the office. Yet, despite restrictions being lifted in Canada and around the world, teleworking as a regular working arrangement has remained <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/leadership/article-while-most-canadians-prefer-working-from-home-survey-highlights/">popular across different industries</a>. </p>
<p>Different polls over the last three years show an increased interest in teleworking among Canadian workers. The polls indicated that many <a href="https://financialpost.com/fp-work/canadians-work-from-home-more">Canadians prefer teleworking</a> and some <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8812305/canadian-workers-remote-jobs-ipsos-poll/">would consider changing careers to maintain their teleworking status</a>. </p>
<p>The popularity of teleworking seems obvious enough. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-3449(02)00082-4">It provides more flexibility</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2006.12.004">reduces the need to commute</a> and can <a href="https://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/items/3e7c083c-e708-4a31-bf86-a522d65637a1/1/">improve productivity</a>, among other indirect benefits. </p>
<p>However, being confined to our homes for long periods without access to different activities can expose teleworkers to cabin fever, <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cabin-fever#signs">a lack of motivation and anxiety</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man with a young child in his lap working on a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568743/original/file-20240110-21-p8398h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teleworkers can find contentment in having more daily interactions with their partners, children and immediate family.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Benefits and downsides of remote work</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9822-5_175">recently published study</a>, we conducted extensive interviews with 14 teleworkers who moved during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that remote working arrangements enabled some people to move away from big cities and economic centres to purchase homes in more affordable areas. In some cases, teleworkers were able to achieve better living standards that were not possible without teleworking. </p>
<p>Another indirect impact of telework was the health benefits associated with higher productivity and less commuting. Most of us have first-hand experience of exhaustion after long commutes in the morning and back from work in the afternoon. That fatigue can often leave us feeling spent. Not needing to commute means we can be more productive and accomplish more with our day.</p>
<p>There are other indirect benefits like having more time to cook meals at home, eating healthier, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadians-savings-stockpile-is-a-300-billion-quandary-for-the/">having increased financial flexibility</a> and improved overall quality of life.</p>
<p>However, along with all these benefits, there are some downsides that people should consider before signing up for remote work. If you plan to move away from the city to a more affordable area, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00038628.2023.2253780">our research shows you will probably become car dependent</a>. </p>
<p>Moving away might also mean leaving friends and family behind. That means you either need to travel farther to visit them, resulting in higher travel costs, or you will not see them as often as you’d like. </p>
<p>That might be fine for some, but others might need a significant degree of social interaction while working from home. Not being able to see family and friends as often can be isolating and detrimental to our well-being.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman wearing exercise clothes sits on a floor using a laptop. Dumbbells are on he floor beside her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568744/original/file-20240110-22-4hv48m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Small actions such as short walks, exercising and social interactions can help reduce cabin fever.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Dealing with cabin fever</h2>
<p>Teleworkers might experience reduced social interactions after a while or have reduced physical activity. Being at home for extended periods of time can leave some feeling like they’re experiencing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.01.010">cabin fever</a>. The symptoms of cabin fever include <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cabin-fever">irritability, feelings of restlessness and loneliness</a>.</p>
<p>Habits and behaviours might change over time after moving away or working fully remotely. Behavioural changes can encompass a broad spectrum, including but not limited to shifts in transportation mode, thermostat setpoints, physical activity and numerous other traits, all of which can significantly impact both the lives of teleworkers and the environment.</p>
<p>Some teleworkers find contentment in having more social interactions with their partners, children and family. Others might need a certain degree of social interaction with their co-workers in the office. And some other individuals might need active social interactions with their friends, family members, and co-workers. </p>
<p>Teleworking without social interaction or physical activity can lead to cabin fever in the long run. Most of us who worked during lockdowns experienced the urge to leave the home even for a short walk. Small actions such as short walks, exercising and social interactions can help reduce cabin fever. Teleworkers should constantly be aware of such impacts of teleworking that can impact their quality of life in the long run. </p>
<p>Whether moving away from the city or staying downtown, working fully remotely can trigger cabin fever if teleworkers develop bad habits and behaviours. To avoid such problems in the long run, remote workers should consider how they can maintain social interactions, physical activity, and other wellness practices. Such activities can provide necessary breaks from the confines of their homes, helping to prevent cabin fever and foster healthy teleworking habits and behaviours.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209962/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>While teleworking can come with many benefits, being alone at home can leave us feeling isolated and unmotivated.Farzam Sepanta, PhD Candidate, Building Engineering, Carleton UniversityLaura Arpan, Professor, Department of Communication, University at BuffaloLiam O'Brien, Professor in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2157452024-01-09T13:26:06Z2024-01-09T13:26:06ZLGBTQ+ workers want more than just pride flags in June<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563397/original/file-20231204-22-q8cyee.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=65%2C40%2C5398%2C3571&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Recognition helps. Benefits may help more.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/worried-woman-in-lgbt-organisation-office-royalty-free-image/618025276">Kosamtu/iStock/Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Every year, more and more companies seem to recognize <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/pride-month-54582">Pride Month</a>. But a recent analysis shows that LGBTQ+ workers expect more than this once-a-year acknowledgment from their employers. In fact, some employees actually criticize such behavior as <a href="https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/07/what-is-pinkwashing/">mere pinkwashing</a>.</p>
<p>So, what do LGBTQ+ workers want? In 2023, the jobs website Indeed conducted a <a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/lgbtq-legislation-affect-work">survey of LGBTQ+ full-time workers</a> from across the U.S., and the results provide a clear picture of their needs.</p>
<p>As a lesbian transgender woman and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/dorian-rhea-debussy-517479">queer studies scholar</a>, I wasn’t surprised by what Indeed found. Even so, non-LGBTQ+ workers – particularly managers – can learn a lot from this survey. It may help them realize what LGBTQ+ workers already know: Employers must do better if they want to retain talent.</p>
<p>Workers are troubled by three big issues, the survey found: the impact of new anti-LGBTQ+ laws, workplace discrimination, and benefits packages that don’t meet their needs.</p>
<h2>Workers say anti-LGBTQ+ laws derail careers</h2>
<p>With a <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/31/650-anti-lgbtq-bills-introduced-us/11552357002/">historic rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation</a>, 2023 proved to be a particularly challenging year for LGBTQ+ rights – <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/04/17/anti-trans-bills-map/">especially transgender rights</a>. In its survey, Indeed found that nearly two-thirds of respondents were concerned about how anti-LGBTQ+ laws could hurt their work opportunities. </p>
<p>In fact, more than three-quarters of respondents said they would hesitate to apply for a new job in a state with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. More than half said they would never apply for a position in such a state.</p>
<p>With anti-LGBTQ+ bills now becoming law across the country, their impact on states’ economies is still uncertain. However, we’ve long known that discrimination is <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-costly-business-of-discrimination/">bad for business</a>. In fact, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco recently found that systemic racial and gender wage gaps – which distort labor markets, reduce productivity and harm job satisfaction – have cost the U.S. economy <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/working-papers/2021/11/">nearly US$71 trillion</a> since 1990. </p>
<p>Whatever effects this rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation will have, history suggests it <a href="https://time.com/6297323/malaysia-1975-matty-healy-lgbt-economic-costs/">won’t be good</a>. </p>
<h2>LGBTQ+ people face workplace discrimination</h2>
<p>Along with anti-LGBTQ+ laws, discrimination continues to harm LGBTQ+ workers. Sixty percent of respondents reported that they lost a promotion because of anti-LGBTQ bias, while a similar number said they were targeted with a performance improvement plan because of their identity. More than half said that they’re paid less than their similarly qualified cisgender and straight colleagues.</p>
<p>The reality is that LGBTQ+ people do encounter <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/discrimination-and-barriers-to-well-being-the-state-of-the-lgbtqi-community-in-2022/">workplace discrimination</a>. For instance, transgender people face bias at work at <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/being-transgender-at-work">alarming rates</a>. And while all LGBTQ+ workers are statistically likely to <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/the-wage-gap-among-lgbtq-workers-in-the-united-states">encounter a wage gap</a>, transgender people – especially women and people of color – face <a href="https://19thnews.org/2022/01/transgender-workers-wage-gap-lowest-paid-lgbtq/">even wider disparities</a>.</p>
<h2>Culturally responsive benefits are crucial</h2>
<p>More than half of survey respondents said that it was important for employers to offer LGBTQ-specific benefits such as family planning support and comprehensive transition-related health care coverage. However, less than one-quarter said their own employer did so. In terms of transgender-specific benefits, nearly three-quarters of respondents said they worked for a company that didn’t offer any.</p>
<p>When asked to share what benefits they looked for in a job posting, respondents cited health care services with LGBTQ+ friendly medical providers and fertility assistance, among others. Transgender respondents said they looked for two specific benefits: health insurance plans with coverage for gender-affirming surgical treatments, and financial assistance for gender-affirming treatments that insurers often deem “cosmetic.”</p>
<p>In this survey, LGBTQ+ workers were quick to share what benefits appealed most to them. But the fact remains that many employers don’t offer such benefits. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign’s <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/corporate-equality-index">2022 Corporate Equality Index</a> notes that more than one-third of Fortune 500 companies still don’t offer trans-inclusive benefits. They also report that only about 72% of Fortune 500 companies require LGBTQ+ competency training.</p>
<p>However, LGBTQ+ employees increasingly expect more of their employers, as organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/employer-support-lgbtq-workers-employee-benefits.aspx">have observed</a>. And on the heels of the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/">“great resignation,”</a> employers would be wise to take notice. At this <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/anti-lgbtq-bills-are-impacting-children-families-and-schools">fraught moment</a> for LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S., workers aren’t likely to be content with pinkwashed companies that won’t offer real support.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215745/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dorian Rhea Debussy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Less hype and more health care, please.Dorian Rhea Debussy, Lecturer of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, The Ohio State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2203552024-01-08T12:09:27Z2024-01-08T12:09:27ZUsing your phone at work can help to balance your home life – new research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567897/original/file-20240104-19-muztye.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=143%2C117%2C8531%2C5657&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/businessman-using-mobile-phone-office-feet-697487440">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You might not think twice about using your phone while you’re at work. Maybe you need to send a quick message to a family member or a friend, or catch up on the news. Then there’s that dental appointment which needs to be booked – and while you’re at it, you may as well get the online grocery shopping done. </p>
<p>It’s all very convenient, and means plenty of domestic tasks can be crossed off the to-do list while you’re on company time. And it appears to be widespread. <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/screen-educations-smartphone-distraction--workplace-safety-survey-finds-us-employees-distracted-2-5-hours-each-workday-by-digital-content-unrelated-to-their-jobs-301120969.html">One survey</a> suggests that employees use their phones for personal reasons for more than two hours during the average working day.</p>
<p>But those hours add up. And with people reportedly checking their phones more than <a href="https://uk.pcmag.com/mobile-phones/146917/americans-check-their-phones-an-alarming-number-of-times-per-day">100 times a day</a>, some employers and companies will be understandably concerned about how much time (and productivity) is being lost. </p>
<p>As a result, some companies have <a href="https://theconversation.com/cellphone-bans-in-the-workplace-are-legal-and-more-common-among-blue-collar-jobs-they-also-might-be-a-safety-risk-173741">banned the use of phones</a> in the workplace. But how do these bans affect the work-life balance of their employees? Do they improve productivity, and if so, at what cost?</p>
<p>To <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/INTR-08-2022-0607/full/pdf?title=personal-use-of-smartphones-in-the-workplace-and-work-life-conflict-a-natural-quasi-experiment">find out</a>, we worked with a pharmaceutical company to examine any changes that might emerge after it overturned a longstanding ban on smartphones in the workplace. </p>
<p>The ban was implemented in the mid 1990s for health and safety reasons, as there were concerns employees may be distracted by their phones while working around potentially dangerous chemicals. The subsequent decision to reverse the policy was fuelled by staff feeling disconnected from the outside world while they were at work.</p>
<p>Over a year we tracked employees who took advantage of the new policy and used their phones at work. We also gathered data from some of their colleagues who had decided to maintain a self-imposed ban by leaving their phones untouched after they began their working day. </p>
<p>Despite fears of the phones being a distraction (as suggested in other studies which point to <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/is-your-phone-actually-draining-your-brain/">falls in productivity</a>), we found that job performance did not decline for those who used their phones at work. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Row of colleagues using their phones." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=39%2C0%2C5214%2C3444&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/567892/original/file-20240104-29-cfif6p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Screen time?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/diverse-office-people-working-on-mobile-1022439427">fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And the new policy resulted in a noticeable benefit for those who started using their phones in a personal capacity while at work, who told us they enjoyed the feeling of being contactable. Work-life conflicts significantly declined for this group in comparison to those who left their phones alone,</p>
<p>As one employee explained: “People use their phone as a way to feel connected to others, even if they don’t use the phone at all during the day. Simply having the ability to be contacted is enough to remove stress.” </p>
<h2>Screen sharing</h2>
<p>Other employees who started using their phones at work said they welcomed the chance to assist with family issues during the day, reducing the domestic pressure which had previously been placed on their partners. </p>
<p>One told us this helped to reduce marital stress, saying: “For years, kindergarten and schools could not contact me directly unless I was at my desk. This meant that my husband had to take all the calls. He travels a lot and therefore there was always a worry when he could not be available as required. [Access to my] smartphone allows equal sharing and less stress.”</p>
<p>Another benefit we noticed was employees enjoying being able to spread personal communications throughout the day. This meant they were not overwhelmed with messages as soon as they turned on their phone after work. </p>
<p>Of course, the working culture of the company we investigated may be different to that in other organisations. For even after the policy change, we noticed that the use of smartphones by employees remained fairly low. </p>
<p>The legacy of the ban and the habits it had created were clearly evident even a year after the new policy was implemented. As long as employees there continue to use their phones in moderation, it seems likely that their work performance will remain unaffected.</p>
<p>But overall, <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/INTR-08-2022-0607/full/pdf?title=personal-use-of-smartphones-in-the-workplace-and-work-life-conflict-a-natural-quasi-experiment">what we learnt</a> suggests that rather than banning employees from using their phones, a more effective strategy for companies would be to establish a culture in which expectations for use are clear (such as not using them during meetings). </p>
<p>Employers should also be aware of the potential unintended consequences of banning personal phone use. Being without access to phones can have a damaging effect on work-life balance, which in turn could have an impact on performance, job satisfaction and an employee’s general wellbeing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220355/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eoin Whelan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One company which lifted a phone ban saw no drop in employee performance.Eoin Whelan, Professor in Business Analytics and Society, University of GalwayLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2137212024-01-02T21:03:29Z2024-01-02T21:03:29ZLanguage-related misunderstanding at work: What it is, why it occurs and what organizations can do about it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566699/original/file-20231219-21-d1nwu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=49%2C368%2C5414%2C3268&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Language plays a central role in facilitating effective communication by allowing people to express their thoughts, share essential information and establish connections with one another.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/language-related-misunderstanding-at-work-what-it-is-why-it-occurs-and-what-organizations-can-do-about-it" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Language is the <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003016366">foundation of human interaction</a>. It plays a central role in facilitating effective communication by allowing people to express their thoughts, share essential information and establish connections with one another. </p>
<p>In the workplace, linguistic diversity can be beneficial for organizations by <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.10.005">improving customer service</a> and increasing its geographical reach.</p>
<p>However, despite language’s ability to foster meaningful connections, it can also exacerbate divisions between people. When language falls short of its ability to facilitate communication, it can lead to misinterpretation and <a href="https://theconversation.com/language-has-become-a-tool-for-social-exclusion-112028">a sense of disconnection or exclusion</a>. </p>
<p>Various factors have given rise to an increasingly complex linguistic environment in Canadian workplaces, including <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-linguistic-diversity-on-the-rise-in-canada-census-data-show/">demographic shifts</a>, the proliferation of occupations requiring <a href="https://web-archive.oecd.org/2021-11-15/615940-Licence-to-capture-the-cost-consequences-to-consumers-of-occupational-regulation-in-Canada.pdf">licensing or certification</a> that come with their own forms of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/rich-encounters/202308/we-use-specialized-language-too-much">specialized language</a>, and the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/12/gen-z-work-emojis/">rapid emergence of Gen Z slang</a>, among others. </p>
<h2>Language in the workplace</h2>
<p>In the workplace, people communicate using both <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203348802">standard languages</a> (like English or French) and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X20966714">hybrid languages</a> (such as jargon or slang). Both types of language can lead to misunderstanding.</p>
<p>While some people at work may intentionally use standard or hybrid language to hide information (e.g., lying) or exclude others (e.g., discrimination), our focus is on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063231181651">language-related misunderstanding</a>. This type of misunderstanding occurs when recipients unintentionally misinterpret a message due to the way it is verbally communicated.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Three young adults sitting in a row at a table working on laptops" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566702/original/file-20231219-17-485vpb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Slang usage and demographic changes have given rise to an increasingly complex linguistic environment in Canadian workplaces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A recent <a href="https://preply.com/en/blog/what-do-canadians-think-of-corporate-jargon/">survey of over a thousand Canadians</a> examined the prevalence of corporate jargon in organizations. The majority of survey participants (88 per cent) said they used corporate jargon in the workplace about six times per day on average. Thirty-five per cent of these respondents said workplace jargon made them feel confused, excluded or disengaged. </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vecS1AR-CI1wlRIVrQ4IKYMrQBRKAq90/view?ref=blog.duolingo.com">a Duolingo and LinkedIn survey</a> of employees in eight countries found that 40 per cent of respondents experienced language-related misunderstanding because of workplace jargon.</p>
<h2>Misunderstanding is widespread</h2>
<p>In light of these workplace trends, we conducted a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206323118165">systematic review of 122 papers from various disciplines</a>, including management, psychology and communications, to examine the consequences of language-related misunderstanding in the workplace.</p>
<p>Our results found that language-related misunderstanding — from the use of both standard and hybrid languages — are common and can negatively affect employees’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2017.0236">job performance</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.10.1.56">reduce their commitment to work</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1470595816684151">weaken trust between team members</a>.</p>
<p>We identified three distinct pathways through which language-related misunderstanding can influence employees’ work outcomes. These pathways can either operate independently or together.</p>
<p>The first is relational, highlighting interpersonal conflicts and tensions that are associated with language-related misunderstanding. The second is affective, emphasizing the intense negative emotions associated with misunderstanding. The final is informational, highlighting the loss of information that can result from language-related misunderstanding.</p>
<h2>Managing language dynamics at work</h2>
<p>There are several ways of preventing language-related misunderstanding in the workplace.</p>
<p><strong>1. Develop a language management strategy:</strong> <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/09/whats-your-language-strategy">Organizations should create a strategy</a> that recognizes the importance of both standard and hybrid language skills for organizational performance. </p>
<p>After identifying relevant competencies, resources can be allocated to address any gaps. This could involve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2010.07.005">providing translation resources</a>, such as translation software, to enhance effective communication and minimize misunderstanding. </p>
<p>In situations where corporate jargon, acronyms and specialized terms are necessary, organizations can provide explicit definitions and easy access to all members through a centralized location, like a corporate intranet.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two men in business attire have a conversation while seated at a table. One is holding a tablet." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566700/original/file-20231219-29-fi64tu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Using multiple communication channels when conveying important information in case one channel proves ineffective can reduce the chances of misunderstanding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>2. Lead efforts to bridge language gaps:</strong> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.05.006">Leaders play a crucial role in improving communication</a> within their teams. They can promote situational awareness by encouraging employees to consider the language capabilities of their colleagues and ensuring team members use language that everyone understands. </p>
<p>Leaders can enhance comprehension by developing processes that promote <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0638">communication redundancy</a>. For instance, leaders could ask employees to use multiple communication channels (e.g., email and in-person meetings) when conveying important information in case one channel proves ineffective. </p>
<p>Fostering a culture where team members feel comfortable asking questions and seeking clarifications without fear of reprisal is also essential.</p>
<p><strong>3. Be proactive in ensuring mutual understanding:</strong> Employees can help reduce the possibility of language-related misunderstanding by <a href="https://www.ohscanada.com/features/spell-it-out-using-plain-language-to-create-inclusive-workplaces/">expressing their ideas in plain language</a>, avoiding jargon and opting for short, familiar words. </p>
<p>Organizations can support these behaviours by offering training programs geared towards <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/09/whats-your-language-strategy">developing employees’ interpersonal and language competencies</a>. For instance, these training programs could focus on boosting employees’ empathy, perspective-taking skills and language processing fluency.</p>
<p>Managing language dynamics in the workplace requires a careful, thoughtful approach. While linguistic diversity can be beneficial, organizations must recognize the potential for misunderstanding due to language differences. </p>
<p>Creating a workplace culture that prioritizes transparent and inclusive communication practices is crucial for fully harnessing the benefits of linguistic diversity.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213721/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Fiset receives funding from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Devasheesh Bhave receives funding from the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) Academic Research Fund (AcRF).</span></em></p>When language falls short of its ability to facilitate communication in the workplace, it can lead to misinterpretation and a sense of disconnection or exclusion.John Fiset, Associate Professor, Management, Saint Mary’s UniversityDevasheesh Bhave, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources, Singapore Management UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2184242023-12-13T22:00:39Z2023-12-13T22:00:39ZHow ‘benevolent sexism’ undermines Asian women with foreign accents in the workplace<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564585/original/file-20231208-31-f8j7mc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=286%2C24%2C5177%2C3612&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">To address barriers that racialized women with non-native accents experience in the Canadian workplace, we need to understand what kinds of bias they face.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/how-benevolent-sexism-undermines-asian-women-with-foreign-accents-in-the-workplace" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Immigrants are critical to the Canadian economy, but their talents are under-utilized due to language and accent discrimination, as immigrants often come from non-English or French speaking countries. </p>
<p>Workers with non-native or foreign accents <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/the-accent-effect-toronto-3-1.4409181">are often discriminated against at work</a>, yet our understanding of this phenomenon is limited because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2591">research on this topic has predominantly focused on men</a>.</p>
<p>However, more than half of Canadian immigrants are women — a statistic that could rise because of <a href="https://smithstonewalters.com/2023/11/08/canada-publishes-immigration-targets-for-2024-2026/">Canada’s ambitious immigration target</a> of half a million permanent residents by 2025. </p>
<p><a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/women-work-and-the-economy/sites/default/files/uploads/files/ircc_knowledge_synthesis_august_23_2021.pdf">Critically, 84 per cent of women immigrants are racialized</a>. To address barriers that racialized women with non-native accents experience in the Canadian workplace, we need to understand what kinds of bias they face. This will help organizations support women immigrants in fully utilizing their talents.</p>
<h2>Accent bias at work</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843231165475">Our recent research</a> examined whether the experiences of women with accents differ from men in the workplace. We did this by exploring how women with non-native English accents — specifically Mandarin — fare in the Canadian job market. </p>
<p>Speaking with a non-native accent involves maintaining speech sounds of one’s native language even after other aspects of speaking English are perfected. That is, speaking with a non-native accent is different from competency or fluency in English. </p>
<p>We used the stereotype content model to conduct our research. This model suggests that all people are judged on two traits: warmth and competence. Warmth is linked to co-operation, while competence is associated with higher status. </p>
<p>Individuals in high-status roles are seen as competent, while those in low-status roles are perceived as less competent. Women are traditionally stereotyped as warm, while men are seen as competent.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An Asian woman in business attire working on a laptop at a desk in a communal office space" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=374&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564586/original/file-20231208-21-qlp1dh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=470&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eighty-four per cent of women immigrants are racialized in Canada.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In three separate studies, participants were asked to decide whether they would consider hiring potential candidates for a job opening within their own organization or another organization. Participants were given audio recordings of the candidates in which some of the speakers had accents, while others did not.</p>
<p>Our research revealed that Asian women with a Mandarin accent were seen as more friendly, trustworthy and sincere than Asian women applicants with no accent. We found this bias present in both a volunteer student position and a paid marketing co-ordinator position. These amplified warmth perceptions translated into higher ratings of hireability.</p>
<p>There were no differences in warmth perceptions between Asian men applicants with and without accents. This is because men are not usually expected to show high levels of warmth.</p>
<h2>‘Benevolent sexism’</h2>
<p>On the surface, warmth bias may appear advantageous for Asian women with accents. However, it’s crucial to understand that gendered warmth stereotypes, despite <em>appearing</em> positive, are problematic. </p>
<p>These stereotypes are rooted in “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/benevolent-sexism">benevolent sexism</a>.” These beliefs <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.70.3.491">pigeonhole women into socially acceptable roles</a> by offering women who conform to a sense of affection, idealization and protectiveness. Women who do not conform may face social costs that can negatively affect their career progression.</p>
<p>This kind of sexism is socially acceptable, endorsed by both men and women and rarely seen as problematic. Yet, past research consistently shows that such attitudes undermine women at work. For instance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310365902">managers with benevolent sexist tendencies do not assign challenging assignments to women</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587231178865">investors with similar beliefs are more likely to fund pitches from men</a>. </p>
<p>In addition, we found these seemingly positive effects of amplified warmth evaluations are only observed in industries traditionally considered feminine, such as fashion and cosmetics. In contrast, there are no such positive effects in industries perceived as masculine, like oil and gas. </p>
<p>This warmth bias contributes to occupational gender segregation, funnelling women towards lower-paying and lower-prestige industries and jobs. At the same time, women are being steered away from industries where they are already severely under-represented.</p>
<h2>Addressing bias at work</h2>
<p>At the government level, non-native accents need to be explicitly recognized as a discriminatory factor affecting the job prospects and well-being of immigrants. Workers with accents are aware of and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886318800997">negatively affected by accent discrimination</a>. </p>
<p>Despite this awareness, accents are not an explicit protected category under the Canadian Human Rights Act, although they are related to the protected category of national or ethnic origin. This lack of protection undermines the legitimacy of accent discrimination. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An Asian woman giving a presentation to a group of people using a whiteboard" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/564587/original/file-20231208-17-1pyf3c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To foster positive attitudes toward accents, racialized women with accents should be in visible and high-status roles in the workplace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At the corporate level, race and gender biases are commonly addressed in equity and diversity initiatives, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/pragyaagarwaleurope/2018/12/30/bias-is-your-accent-holding-you-back/">but accent bias is often overlooked</a>. To fight accent bias, more awareness needs to be raised about accents and how they affect racialized women in the workforce. Recruitment and hiring processes also need to be more objective by focusing on assessing job-relevant knowledge, skills and abilities.</p>
<p>Organizations and managers should foster positive employee attitudes toward accents by emphasizing the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/13/the-benefits-of-cultural-diversity-in-the-workplace/">benefits of a multicultural workforce</a>. Equally important is ensuring there are racialized women with accents in visible and high-status roles. </p>
<p>This stands in contrast to a popular solution of “accent reduction.” <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/31/accent-reduction-racist-or-empowering-a-look-at-the-controversy.html">Accent reduction programs stigmatize accents</a> by suggesting they need to be corrected. Instead of focusing on what workers with accents can do to “fit in,” organizations need to focus on removing systemic barriers that workers with accents face.</p>
<p>Our research serves as a reminder to not evaluate workers based on stereotypes. Even purportedly positive stereotypes can undermine the careers of racialized women.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218424/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ivona Hideg's research has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samantha Hancock's research has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Winny Shen's research has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p>Recent research explores how women with non-native English accents — specifically Mandarin — fare in the Canadian job market.Ivona Hideg, Associate Professor and Ann Brown Chair in Organization Studies, York University, CanadaSamantha Hancock, Assistant Professor, DAN Department of Management & Organizational Studies, Western UniversityWinny Shen, Associate Professor of Organization Studies, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2155872023-11-26T20:36:17Z2023-11-26T20:36:17ZHere’s why union support is so high right now<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/heres-why-union-support-is-so-high-right-now" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Over 65,000 teachers in Québec <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-teachers-strike-staff-may-be-on-strike-until-christmas-says-union-vice-president-1.6661466">could remain on strike until Christmas</a> if a deal isn’t reached, their union said on Sunday. The warning comes amid widespread labour unrest in the province, including nearly <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/nearly-570000-of-quebecs-public-sector-workers-are-on-strike-thursday">570,000 workers on strike at the same time</a> last week.</p>
<p>These collective actions are on the heels of the recent “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/union-labour-summer-of-strikes-1.6970861">summer of strikes</a>,” that saw a number of labour actions take place, including the <a href="https://theconversation.com/actors-are-demanding-that-hollywood-catch-up-with-technological-changes-in-a-sequel-to-a-1960-strike-209829">Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-uaw-unions-tough-bargaining-strategy-is-working-214679">United Auto Workers’ strike</a> and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/starbucks-workers-over-150-stores-strike-over-pride-decor-row-2023-06-23/">a number of Starbucks strikes</a>. In Canada, <a href="https://theconversation.com/b-c-labour-dispute-its-time-for-an-industrial-inquiry-commission-into-ports-and-automation-210779">port workers in British Columbia</a>, <a href="https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/workers-at-ontario-s-public-broadcaster-walk-off-the-job-1.6527764">workers from Ontario’s public broadcaster,</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/sj-inside-workers-agreement-1.6990304">city workers in Saint John</a> also held strikes.</p>
<p>One of the reasons strikes seem to have increased in popularity and publicity is the record high support for workers’ unions. According to a <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/398303/approval-labor-unions-highest-point-1965.aspx">recent Gallup poll</a>, 71 per cent of Americans are supportive of labour unions — the highest rate since 1965. A recent <a href="https://angusreid.org/unions-strike-labour-canada-ndp-conservatives-liberals/">Angus Reid survey</a> found three-in-five Canadians believe unions have had a positive impact for workers.</p>
<p>Why is this support so high now? <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/technologies-helping-shape-surge-worker-strikes-us/story?id=102994468">Some have argued</a> that worsening working conditions, wages falling out of step with inflation and the increasing use of artificial intelligence across industries are contributing to workers’ collective action. </p>
<p>However, this is only part of the picture. More important than these conditions are the workers’ <em>perceptions</em> of these conditions. The rise in union support may be better explained by the general rise in people’s acknowledgement of their own disadvantages, and their negative emotional reactions to that disadvantage.</p>
<h2>Importance of perception</h2>
<p>Research shows that recognizing one’s disadvantage, coupled with experiencing an emotional reaction to it — usually anger — is an important predictor of taking part in collective actions like protesting, striking or joining a union. This is true <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1088868311430825">even when accounting for objective measures of disadvantage</a>, like social class, income and education. </p>
<p>When it comes to support for unions specifically, a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/27767155">1991 study found</a> people’s feelings about their perceived social status were more important in predicting union support than their objective social standing, which is determined by factors like income, education and class. In other words, people’s perceptions determined union support.</p>
<p>This perspective also explains why union support hasn’t risen in times when working conditions have worsened. The years following the 2008 recession, for example, brought about many labour issues, including <a href="https://www.kansascityfed.org/Jackson%20Hole/documents/4547/2014vonWachter.pdf">widespread unemployment</a>, <a href="https://u.demog.berkeley.edu/%7Ejrw/Biblio/Eprints/PRB/files/65.1unitedstates.pdf">declining household wages</a> and <a href="https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/great-recession-american-dream/">increased levels of temporary and precarious work</a>. </p>
<p>Despite this, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/398303/approval-labor-unions-highest-point-1965.aspx">union support among Americans was at a historical low</a> around that time. While no statistics exist for the Canadian context, <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.18740/S4M887">evidence suggests</a> unions were equally unpopular in Canada after the Great Recession. </p>
<h2>The COVID-19 pandemic’s role</h2>
<p>The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted how we view our lives. Recent studies suggest people are now <a href="https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/pandemics-make-us-more-averse-inequality">more aware of the inequalities present in our societies</a> and are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jesp.2022.104400">more willing to do something about it</a>, compared to the pre-COVID era. </p>
<p>An awareness of the unjust systems that influence our behaviours has been shown to <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/1088868311430825">be a prerequisite for the anger</a> that drives collective action. Essentially, the more we recognize injustice, the <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1987.9713692">more likely we are to engage in collective action</a>.</p>
<p>The height of the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with several union strikes that reveal this pattern. For instance, the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/business/the-pandemic-has-caused-a-surprising-rebound-for-the-unions-participation-is-now-higher-than/article_04de56b9-3a88-539c-94ef-c1b1f68793d6.html">2020 Dominion grocery store workers’ strikes in Newfoundland</a> were driven by a growing awareness of the disparities between top executives, who earned millions during the pandemic, and front-line workers who saw little to no wage increases. </p>
<p>Although this divide <a href="https://policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2022/01/Another%20year%20in%20paradise.pdf">had been widening for years</a>, the pandemic accentuated it. <a href="https://nursesunions.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/a_time_of_fear_possamai_final_book_digital.pdf">Union statements during the strikes</a> emphasized that the issues faced by workers were exposed by the pandemic, rather than being created by it. </p>
<p>The pandemic has helped create an environment where workers are more likely to feel disadvantaged and angry. Until public perception and awareness of inequality changes, we will likely continue to see an increased number of strikes and other forms of collective action. </p>
<h2>What should employers do?</h2>
<p>Employers have a crucial role to play in all this. If they wish to avoid their workers taking collective action against them, they should demonstrate their support of their employees by attending to their needs. Issues like <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-businesses-can-best-help-employees-disconnect-from-work-174522">work-life balance</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/employers-need-to-prioritize-employee-mental-health-if-they-want-to-attract-new-talent-205738">mental health support</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/diversity-in-the-workplace-isnt-enough-businesses-need-to-work-toward-inclusion-194136">diversity and inclusion</a> are top of mind for employees.</p>
<p>When employees’ needs are met, they are less likely to perceive disadvantages in the workplace and harbour resentment. A <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S321689">recent study found</a> that employees who believed they were being fairly paid for positive workplace behaviours — like co-operating with others and coming in to work early — felt less resentment towards those they considered more advantaged. </p>
<p>Effective communication with workers, fostering participative leadership and encouraging co-operation between workers have also been shown to <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1177/08863680122098298">reduce angry feelings</a> stemming from an employee’s negative workplace comparisons. </p>
<p>These approaches work because they encourage constructive solutions to employee issues. In the end, the link between people’s perceptions of their own lives and their support for unions highlights just how important it is for employers to take their employees’ needs into account.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215587/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nabhan Refaie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The rise in union support can be explained by the growing recognition people are having of their own disadvantages, and the anger they feel about it.Nabhan Refaie, PhD Candidate in Management (Organizational Behaviour), University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2179092023-11-23T17:27:00Z2023-11-23T17:27:00ZWeWork approached physical space as if it were virtual, which led to the company’s downfall<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560964/original/file-20231122-24-25kyz6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=53%2C0%2C6000%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The pandemic shifted work patterns and reduced the need for space, including shared offices.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/wework-approached-physical-space-as-if-it-were-virtual-which-led-to-the-companys-downfall" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>On Nov. 6, the co-working firm WeWork filed for bankruptcy. WeWork, founded by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey in 2010, had a simple business model: it signed long-term leases on urban buildings, fitting them out with modern work facilities. Then, it rented out desks, offices and meeting rooms to companies and freelancers seeking an easy-come, easy-go workplace.</p>
<p>WeWork was, in short, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/working-in-a-wework-2016-7">in the office subleasing business</a>.</p>
<p>Yet Neumann promoted the firm as if it were a tech company, peppering his presentations with the buzzy language of Silicon Valley. He promised clients his offices would boost workers’ social interaction, leading to untold innovations. The company even <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/11/wework-commons/">developed an online social network, WeWork Commons</a>.</p>
<p>But the true “platform” for communication and collaboration, Neumann said, was the office space itself. He described WeWork as a “<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/f2e073a2-d0ef-11e5-831d-09f7778e7377">physical social network</a>” offering “<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/wework-is-valued-10-times-greater-than-this-profitable-public-rival-11566298801">space as a service</a>.”</p>
<p>WeWork’s collapse casts doubt on analogies between physical workspaces and computers that have proliferated in recent years. Is an office — where people go to work in the morning, sit at desks and talk across conference tables — best understood as a piece of digital infrastructure? </p>
<h2>Digital daydreams</h2>
<p>When Neumann cast offices as a form of information technology, he traded on an idea — wildly popular in the 2010s — that the boundary between physical space and computers was dissolving. </p>
<p>Business leaders and tech journalists predicted a soon-to-be-pervasive “<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-15004063">internet of things</a>” (physical objects with embedded transmitters, so they can exchange data), the rise of “<a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/market-smart-city-technology-reach-16b-year-2020">smart cities</a>” (where municipal services are digitally monitored and optimized), and a new collective life in “<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/tech.augmented.reality.apps/index.html">augmented reality</a>.”</p>
<p>These ideas are all based in real technology, but were caught up in a vortex of accelerating hype around the time WeWork was founded.</p>
<h2>Cybernetic architecture</h2>
<p>There’s a deeper history to predictions like this. In the 1960s, radical architects were enthralled by the rising field of computer science. They fantasized about buildings that would be as dynamic and responsive as a computer. These visions often had a countercultural tinge. For example, British architect Cedric Price <a href="https://www.moma.org/collection/works/845">designed a giant cultural centre</a> whose rooms would rearrange themselves in real time with the help of a digital algorithm and a built-in crane.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CgY-__QMVc5","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Hungarian-French artist Nicolas Schöffer tried the idea at an urban scale, <a href="https://www.naimaunlimited.com/biblio/nicolas-schoffer-la-ville-cybernetique/">imagining a “cybernetic city”</a> where citizens could alter their surroundings with the touch of a button. </p>
<p>And Japanese designer Kenzo Tange <a href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/1304275244">conceived buildings as giant communication apparatus</a> with corridors serving as “information channels.”</p>
<h2>Office as platform</h2>
<p>The digital pipe dreams that inspired these radical visions also filtered into the prosaic task of designing corporate offices. Earlier in the twentieth century, offices were thought of as, essentially, industrial buildings. They were factories for paperwork, with documents passing from one desk to another like a car part down an assembly line.</p>
<p>But during World War II, executives witnessed the military use giant mainframes for logistics and deciphering codes. Afterwards, many started thinking of an office filled with workers as a kind of computing infrastructure. </p>
<p>The influential West German consultant Eberhard Schnelle described an office as an “information processing facility, one in which information processing plays out <a href="https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-331536">between people and within people</a>.” To Schnelle, an office was like a programmable computer, with an algorithmic intelligence defined largely by its distinctive configuration of desks.</p>
<p>Amid the booming knowledge economy of the 1960s, CEOs loved the idea that they could improve office work just by freeing up the flow of communication. This theory inspired new office furniture like Herman Miller’s <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/04/how-offices-accidentally-became-hellish-cubicle-farms/">Action Office</a> line of desks, shelves and partitions. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CrLu05FM2Z0","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Managers would constantly optimize the flow of information through the office by adjusting the layout of the modular desks, like a programmer feeding an updated algorithm into a mainframe.</p>
<p>That was the idea, anyway.</p>
<p>The fantasy that offices were as dynamic and frictionless as a computer program obscured the fact that real estate is stubbornly physical. As office buildings age, they need constant maintenance. Changing the interior is a messy undertaking. Even rearranging supposedly flexible desks and partitions may involve hundreds of specialized parts. And at the end of the day, there’s no guarantee it will improve how people work.</p>
<h2>The WeWork crash</h2>
<p>Analogies between offices and computers faded during the recession of the 1970s. But they never really died out — especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, where digital networks found a <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/F/bo3773600.html">surprising following among ex-hippies seeking alternative forms of community</a>. When Neumann and McKelvey founded WeWork in 2010, few Silicon Valley investors stopped to question their analogy of an office to a social network.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="four people sitting around two tables in a coworking space" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/560965/original/file-20231122-17-d3tx1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Co-working spaces like WeWork marketed their social networking opportunities as a benefit to members.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Their enterprise rode a wave of enthusiasm for all things digital, and secured ever larger investments from tech venture capitalists. Yet, as analysts pointed out in retrospect, <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645810/the-cult-of-we-by-eliot-brown-and-maureen-farrell/">the business model of a tech firm never made sense for WeWork</a>. A real estate company does not enjoy the same economies of scale or network effects as an online platform. Finally, in 2019, WeWork could no longer hide the fact that it was still losing money.</p>
<p>The company’s bankruptcy brings this saga to a close. It also casts doubt on the idea that more communication and connectedness are always better — an article of faith derived from the flower-child utopianism of early Silicon Valley.</p>
<p>Conflating physical space and digital platforms flattens the richness of social interaction into the linear logic of an algorithm. WeWork promoted the virtues of socializing, but only with fellow white-collar millennials — and always with an entrepreneurial sense of self-promotion. </p>
<p>Imagining buildings and cities as digital platforms erodes a sense of place where one could have a palpable sense of belonging, with a legible relation to the <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208053/a-city-is-not-a-computer">public realm</a>.</p>
<p>Predictions about the future of the office often hang on fantasies of an imminent work revolution that never actually takes place. If history is any guide, office design and online systems will keep evolving in parallel, as distinct — and often complementary — technologies for work. The office will remain a place, not a platform.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217909/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph L. Clarke receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>WeWork’s bankruptcy casts doubt on hype that the boundaries between physical space and computer technology are dissolving.Joseph L. Clarke, Associate Professor, History of Modern Architecture, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2170382023-11-15T19:58:53Z2023-11-15T19:58:53ZLong hours and low wages: the human labour powering AI’s development<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558423/original/file-20231108-27-4dr4yx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=157%2C22%2C7331%2C4468&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Data labellers across the world are keeping AI on track, but struggling to make ends meet themselves. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pexels/Google DeepMind)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/long-hours-and-low-wages-the-human-labour-powering-ais-development" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The Finnish tech firm Metroc <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/prisoners-training-ai-finland/">recently began using prison labour to train a large language model to improve artificial intelligence (AI) technology</a>. For 1.54 euros an hour prisoners answer simple questions about snippets of text in a process known as data labelling.</p>
<p>Data labelling is often outsourced to labour markets in the Global South where companies can find workers who are fluent in English and willing to work for low wages.</p>
<p>Due to the lack of Finnish speakers in these countries, however, Metroc has tapped into a local source of cheap labour. Were it not for the prison labour program, Metroc would likely be hard-pressed to find Finns willing to take data-labelling jobs that pay a fraction of <a href="https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/finland/">the average salary in Finland</a>.</p>
<p>These cost-cutting strategies not only highlight the significant amount of human labour still required to fine tune AI, but they also raise important questions about the long-term sustainability of such business models and practices.</p>
<h2>AI’s labour problem</h2>
<p>The ethical ambiguity of prison labour-sourced AI is part of a larger story about the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/features/23764584/ai-artificial-intelligence-data-notation-labor-scale-surge-remotasks-openai-chatbots">human cost behind AI’s significant growth</a> in recent years. One issue that has become more evident over the past year revolves around the <a href="https://www.noemamag.com/the-exploited-labor-behind-artificial-intelligence/">question of labour</a>.</p>
<p>Leading AI firms are not denying their use of outsourced and low-wage labour to do work like <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/data-labeling">data labelling</a>. However, the hype around tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT has drawn attention away from <a href="https://fair.work/en/fw/publications/fairwork-cloudwork-ratings-2023-work-in-the-planetary-labour-market/">this aspect of the technology’s development</a>.</p>
<p>As researchers, including myself, are trying to understand <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-study-buddy-that-raises-serious-questions-how-uni-students-approached-ai-in-their-first-semester-with-chatgpt-207915">the perceptions and use of AI in higher education</a>, the ethical problems associated with current AI models continue to pile up. These include the <a href="https://theconversation.com/eliminating-bias-in-ai-may-be-impossible-a-computer-scientist-explains-how-to-tame-it-instead-208611">biases that AI is prone to reproducing</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2023.09.004">environmental impact of AI data centres</a>, and <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/ai-chatbots-can-guess-your-personal-information/">privacy and security concerns</a>.</p>
<p>Current practices of outsourcing data labelling work expose <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/davos23-ai-divide-global-north-global-south/">an uneven global distribution of AI’s costs and benefits</a>, with few proposed solutions.</p>
<p>The implications of this situation are twofold.</p>
<p>First, the massive amount of human labour that is still required to shape the “intelligence” of AI tools should give users pause when evaluating the outputs of these tools.</p>
<p>Second, until AI firms take serious steps to address their exploitative labour practices, users and institutions may want to reconsider the so-called values or benefits of AI tools. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ug_p2wHhla0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>What is data labelling?</h2>
<p>The “intelligence” component of AI still requires significant human input to develop its data processing capabilities. Popular chatbots like ChatGPT are pre-trained (hence, the PT in GPT). A critical phase in the pre-training process consists of <a href="https://www.ibm.com/topics/supervised-learning">supervised learning</a>.</p>
<p>During supervised learning, AI models learn how to generate outputs from data sets that are labelled by humans. Data labellers, like the Finnish prisoners, perform different tasks. For example, labellers might need to confirm whether an image contains a certain feature or to flag offensive language.</p>
<p>In addition to improving accuracy, data labelling is necessary to improve the “safety” of AI systems. Safety is defined according to the goals and principles of each AI firm. A “safe” model for one company might mean <a href="https://hbr.org/2023/04/generative-ai-has-an-intellectual-property-problem">avoiding the risk of copyright infringement</a>. For another, it might entail minimizing false information or <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2023-generative-ai-bias/">biased content and stereotypes</a>.</p>
<p>For most popular models, safety means that the model should not generate content based on prejudiced ideologies. This is partly achieved through a properly labelled training data set.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A hand using a computer mouse." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/559720/original/file-20231115-29-fudzxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tech companies rely on low-wage labour around the world to develop the programs that power their AI systems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who are data labellers?</h2>
<p>The job of combing through thousands of potentially graphic images and snippets of text has fallen on data labellers largely concentrated in the Global South.</p>
<p>In early 2023, <a href="https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/"><em>TIME</em> magazine reported on OpenAI’s contract</a> with Sama, a data labelling firm based in San Francisco. The report revealed that employees at a Kenyan satellite office were paid as little as US$1.32 per hour to read text that “appeared to have been pulled from the darkest recesses of the internet.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/millions-of-workers-are-training-ai-models-for-pennies/"><em>WIRED</em> also investigated the global economic realities of data labellers</a> in South America and East Asia, some of whom worked more than 18 hours per day to earn less than their country’s minimum wage.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/28/scale-ai-remotasks-philippines-artificial-intelligence/"><em>Washington Post</em> has taken a close look at ScaleAI</a> which employs at least 10,000 workers in the Philippines. The newspaper revealed the San Francisco-based company “paid workers at extremely low rates, routinely delayed or withheld payments and provided few channels for workers to seek recourse.” </p>
<p>The data labelling industry and its required workforce <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/data-collection-labeling-market-worth-070000709.html">is set to expand drastically in the coming years</a>. Consumers who increasingly use AI systems need to know how they are built as well as the harm and inequities being perpetuated.</p>
<h2>Transparency needed</h2>
<p>From prisoners to gig workers, the potential for exploitation is real for all entwined in big AI’s thirst for data to fuel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3442188.3445922">bigger (and possibly more unpredictable) models</a>.</p>
<p>As institutions and individuals are swept up by the momentum of AI and all of its promises, the public tends to pay less attention to ethical aspects of the technology’s development.</p>
<p>Researchers at Stanford University recently launched a <a href="https://crfm.stanford.edu/fmti/">website showcasing their Foundation Model Transparency Index</a>. The index provides metrics on measures of transparency for the most widely used AI models. These metrics range from how transparent companies are about where they source their data to how clear they are on the potential risks of their models. </p>
<p>Ten AI models were examined based on criteria of how transparent the company that operates them is about its labour practices. The index shows that tech companies have much work to do to improve transparency.</p>
<p>AI is becoming a growing part of our increasingly digital lives. That is why we must remain critical of a set of technologies that, unchecked and unexamined, may cause more problems than they solve and deepen divides in the world rather than eliminate them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217038/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Lee Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tech firms are relying on low-wage workers to power their AI models. That raises serious ethical questions about how the technology is being developed.Ben Lee Taylor, Postdoctoral Fellow in Research on Teaching and Learning, McMaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.