The Next Normal: Centering BIWOCs in the Return to the Office
In response to COVID-19, the world of work dispelled long-held myths about working from home when we were all abruptly thrown into remote work – a setup that’s a mixed bag, for sure, and most definitely blurred the lines between the personal and the professional. Now, as vaccination rates increase and active cases decrease, organizations are chomping at the bit to flip the switch and have staff return to the office. Stat.
To move forward through this transition equitably, organizations cannot simply throw out what we’ve seen so clearly in the last 15 months. If nothing else, the pandemic and work during the pandemic has shown us this: that the status quo serves the privileged few – while the rest of us (especially women of color) to struggle and suffer.
Impact of COVID-19 on Women & BIPOC
According to the Census Bureau and Federal Reserve, women have carried the brunt of homeschooling and childcare during the pandemic. In doing so, many have been forced to juggle full-time work responsibilities or have had to step down from leadership roles so that their work and home lives could coexist.
Weighing on this pressure is the fact that women of color are more likely to be primary breadwinners, to have lost a family member to COVID, and to have been disproportionately laid off from positions in which they were already systemically paid less than their White counterparts.
On top of the challenges of the global pandemic, BIPOCs in general have had to navigate the personal trauma of witnessing increasing accounts of race-based crimes broadcasted with obscene regularity within the media.
As a result, the post-pandemic experience of BIWOCs is fraught with unique challenges and pressures that require an inclusive response by corporations that have committed to the diversification of staff at all levels.
Preparing to Support BIWOC Returning to the Office
I want to underscore that organizations seeking to implement equitable practices need to recognize that return-to-office plans and DEI strategies are mutually inclusive; the former requires direction from the latter to attract and retain BIWOC employees and leaders.
To be clear, corporate social responsibility at this turning point begins with:
Working with (paid) in-house or external DEI practitioners to gain an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges BIWOCs currently face within corporate spaces.
Adapting work schedules by implementing permanent hybrid and work-from-home options – taking into account the fact that employees should not be punished or penalized for working remotely, i.e., through being intentionally or unintentionally excluded from opportunities for increased responsibility, desirable scopes of work, promotions, and raises.
Empowering BIWOCs with the skills needed to manage up and share their input as organizations design more equitable work-life effectiveness operational models.
Over the past 15 months, BIWOC workers have struggled to maintain and perform their jobs amid the world's increased awareness of the pre-COVID systemic inequities. Any efforts to move the work world toward the next normal must actively and intentionally support BIWOCs and BIPOCs to co-create a diverse and inclusive future.