This is how we build better, more equal workplaces in 2021

This is Working Together, a weekly series on equity in the workplace. It’s our last newsletter of the year and I want to thank each and every one of you for making the Working Together community such a strong force for progress in the workplace. I also want to thank my editor, Scott Olster, for always making our conversations stronger. Have ideas about what we should discuss next year? As always, let me know in the comments using #WorkingTogether or email me at [email protected]. 

2020 may have put a spotlight on inequality issues across corporate America. But the hard work of addressing these challenges is only getting started. 

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve covered how the health crisis has shaped how employers think about supporting the careers of diverse workers. We’ve talked with working parents, Black women, female executives, entrepreneurs, small business owners and others, all with the goal of developing solutions to make work, work for everyone. 

So, what did we learn? I gathered a few insights from the year and I asked our Top Voices on Equity in the Workplace to weigh in. Here are a few key themes that emerged: 

It’s time to stop talking about diversity — and start talking about race — at work

In February, we spoke with more than a dozen researchers, inclusion consultants and employees across industries about the dangers of talking about “diversity” at work, as opposed to directly discussing race and racism. “People are very happy to talk about diversity as ‘happy talk,’” said Laura Morgan Roberts, a professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business who is Black. “But when you specifically call out race, their enthusiasm declines precipitously,” she added, pointing to research on the topic. Protests against systemic racism after the killing of George Floyd spurred corporations to come out en masse with statements promising change. Now, as we move into 2021, it will be critical that leaders turn that talk into change.    

Parents need to be considered their own class of workers

Despite the prevalence of working parents across corporate America, companies still haven’t figured out how to make work truly manageable for this group, and the pandemic made that abundantly clear. There are 1.6 million fewer working mothers in the workforce today than before the pandemic, and employers are still scrambling to get them back. “When you're living in a society and you have a social support system in the form of schools and daycare, the system is set up so that you can kind of do it,” working father Keith Mackensize told us. “But now the whole system's kind of been turned on its head. Society has said that you have to choose either kids or work, but not both.” The COVID-19 crisis sparked a movement to create a Marshall Plan for working moms. Even with such a plan, companies will need to rethink policies around working parents: Nearly half of employers in a recent Chamber of Commerce survey said they would provide more assistance to working parents if the government incentivized them to do so. 

Remote work promised to equalize access to talent. Let’s make it happen

Pre-pandemic, remote work was viewed as an ideal way to broaden access to opportunity for workers, regardless of where they live. It also offered flexibility for workers who may not be able to work traditional hours. Remote work then became the norm for millions of workers practically overnight. But for this arrangement to have the kind of impact experts hope it will, managers will need to be intentional about a number of things. Just throwing everyone into remote work — without thinking about things like shyer employees getting interrupted all the time during Zoom calls — won’t work.  “COVID-19 has called out that we need leaders who can lead through disruption and who can enable people who don't look like them,” said Equity Forward managing partner Michelle P. King. “I am hopeful that organizations who want to out-compete their peers and thrive in the post-pandemic workplace will use this as a learning opportunity to heavily invest in leaders who can lead inclusively.”

Empathy needs to be front and center at every company

When the crisis hit, workers had to grapple with their jobs alongside health concerns, increased childcare responsibilities and burnout. Being a leader who could relate to an employee's individual circumstances became absolutely essential. Moving into next year, leaders should think critically about how to encourage this trait in their workplaces. “Part of feeling like you belong is being able to chime in on issues that matter to you, even if your viewpoint doesn’t mirror the majority,” said Minda Harts, CEO and Author of The Memo. “As long as you are being respectful, then you should also be afforded that same level of respect.”

Addressing inequality in the workplace is challenging. Let’s talk about it. 

While a majority of executives in a recent McKinsey survey agreed that D&I efforts remain a top priority, 90% said they faced challenges in executing their strategies. Rather than downplay the difficulty of creating parity within organizations, experts say it’s critical that leaders address these challenges head on and talk about them transparently. "The single biggest thing that companies can do to bring more equity to the workplace is for their senior leaders to talk openly and honestly about the importance of equity and actively share what and how they are bringing more equity to their work cultures,” said Todd Sears, the CEO and Founder of Out Leadership. “This helps create space for both different and authentic conversations.” 

What’s Working 

$2,400 a month for working moms? As President-elect Joe Biden maps out his first 100 days in office, many are asking him to put working mothers at the top of his agenda. Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, proposes that Biden appoint Melinda Gates as his ‘caregiving czar’ and to institute a “Marshall Plan for Moms” that would offer $2,400 monthly checks for the 45 million working mothers in the country. “What might end, or at least begin to abate, is the gross disregard for the value of mothers’ unpaid, unseen, unappreciated labor,” wrote Saujani. [The Hill]

Pinterst settles suit. In one of the largest publicly announced individual settlements for gender discrimination, Pinterest agreed to pay $22.5 million to settle a suit from former COO Françoise Brougher. Pinterest did not admit any liability, but the agreement signals that tech companies may be less eager to put up a fight on gender discrimination claims. [NYTimes] 

What’s Not

Yes, call her doctor. A recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal insinuating that Dr. Jill Biden should not use her official title when she enters the White House has put a spotlight on long standing bias against the professional achievements of women. Research has shown that men are less likely to use a woman’s professional title when introducing her as a speaker. Many are now calling for the Journal to publish a retraction. [LinkedIn]

$1.6 trillion. The pandemic poked massive holes in the U.S. childcare system, with 2.2 million women leaving the labor force, compared to 1.8 million men. New research shows that if  women in the U.S. entered and stayed in the workforce at a rate similar to Norway — a country with expansive childcare benefits — U.S. GDP could grow by $1.6 trillion. [Bloomberg]

Long term pain for women. The longstanding investing gender gap threatens to widen, as more women remain unemployed during the pandemic, curbing their ability to save for retirement. Women already tend to earn less than their male peers and are overrepresented in the industries experiencing the highest job losses. “They already were vulnerable, and many may never become fully employed again,” said Victoria DeFrancesco Soto, assistant dean at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. [NYTimes]

Who’s Pushing Us Forward 

What topics do you want to discuss next time? Let me know in the comments below using #WorkingTogether