How COVID-19 May Impact Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts
Alexandra Kalev, Ph.D.,
Harvard Business Review
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In this
Harvard Business Review article, Dr. Kalev says economists agree that the COVID-19 pandemic will have an “uneven economic impact—and all signs indicate that minorities and women will be the hardest hit.”
Dr. Kalev researched 327 companies that downsized and held layoffs and said most of these cuts are based on two factors: position or tenure. She posits that both outcomes “drained diversity” from their management teams.
She added that most of the executives she spoke with were oblivious to the connection between layoffs and diversity. She says that layoffs of minorities and women slow overall economic recovery. She cites research that during the last recession, companies that remained inclusive did better financially during and after.
Dr. Kalev offers seven tips for how to avoid turning the economic recession into a diversity recession.
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How COVID-19 is Forcing CEOs to Rethink the Importance of Internal Communications
Gary Grates, IPR Trustee, W2O Group
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In this blog post, IPR Trustee Gary Grates, Principal at W2O Group, discusses how critical employee behavior, trust, and engagement are, not only to organizations and business but to society as a whole.
Grates provides insights into what he has observed as it relates to internal communications, organizational confidence, and CEO enlightenment as a result of COVID-19.
Some key insights include:
- Although the CEO ultimately drives organizational stability and culture, internal communications must help shape and guide CEO actions and decisions so that they are clearly understood, actively engaged, properly discussed and debated.
- Internal communications must be funded, led and measured like any other corporate function, in that management and communication are inextricably linked. Communication must be viewed as an important component of a company’s management model. It can no longer be viewed as a separate and distinct function.
- Internal communications must consist of facts and empathy. It goes past the need for balance and movies deeper into sensing how the workforce is feeling and operating at any given moment and providing the proper narrative that respects the need for information and context, prudence and sensitivity.
Grates offers 10 key insights as companies continue to elevate and transform internal communications.
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Working From Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic: The State of Remote Work
Kristen Herhold, Clutch
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More employees are working from home than ever before, and companies are adjusting to this new team dynamic.
Clutch surveyed 365 workers across the country about their working-from-home habits and what they like and dislike about remote work. It was found that 66% of employees currently work from home at least part of the week as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Some key findings include:
- Nearly half of U.S. workers (44%) are currently working from home five or more days per week as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, up from 17% before the pandemic.
- There isn’t a consensus on workers’ preferred workspace: 39% would prefer to work in an office, while 40% would rather work remotely.
- Not having a commute (47%), a more flexible schedule (43%), and not having to dress up (33%) are the three biggest benefits of working from home.
- Difficulty collaborating with co-workers (33%), frequent interruptions (27%), and problems sticking to a routine (26%) are the three biggest challenges of remote work.
- The top collaboration tools for remote workers are Zoom (36%), Microsoft Teams (19%), and Skype (17%).
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Misinformation During a Pandemic
Leonardo Bursztyn, Ph.D., University of Chicago; Aakaash Rao, Ph.D., Harvard University; Christpoher Roth, Ph.D., University of Warwick; and David Yanagizawa-Drott, Ph.D., University of Zurich
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This working paper reports the effects of news coverage of COVID-19 on viewers’ behavior and downstream health outcomes through analyzing the two most widely-viewed cable news shows in the United States –
Hannity
and
Tucker Carlson Tonight
, both on
Fox News
.
Some key findings include:
- Hannity’s viewers changed behavior in response to the virus later than other Fox News viewers, while Carlson’s viewers changed behavior earlier.
- The number of COVID-19 cases started declining in mid-March, consistent with the convergence in COVID-19 coverage between the two shows.
- Greater exposure to Hannity relative to Tucker Carlson Tonight increased the number of total cases and deaths in the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn how misinformation in the early stages of a pandemic can have important consequences for how a disease affects the population.
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Remote Teams Toolkit #4: What COVID-19 Can Teach Us About Diversity
Integral Communications Group
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Integral Communications Group developed a conversation guide for managers. It addresses the ways that diversity, equity, and inclusion will shape strategic decision making, not only during today’s crisis but as COVID-19 continues to change the future of diversity in corporate America.
This toolkit walks communicators through the process of addressing diversity within our new normal due to COVID-19 and provides ways to not only re-define diversity to reflect the new times we live in, but how to make impactful decisions through a new lens as well.
Learn more about the conversation guide and future directions of DE&I.
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