The Workplace Optimism Disparity

It is no longer news that the pandemic has upended virtually every aspect of our lives, from how we interact to how we work. Subsequently, the crisis has also had a disproportionate negative impact on working women and even more particularly, women of color.

While the past year has helped bring about positive change to workplace arrangements, many of these changes have relied on technological advancements.

However, with work from home arrangements being an option for only 4 in 10 Americans, most of whom are white, middle and upper-class knowledge workers, it is clear that there is a divide in our workforce that must be acknowledged.

Eileen Campbell, cofounder of Reid Campbell Group, recently partnered with C200 and Angus Reid Group to commission a poll of 1,000 American adults to get a feel of how men and women felt about the state of work.

For many women, they have little to no flexibility to work from home since they are largely employed by the education, healthcare, retail and service industries.

Even more, the survey found that two-thirds of respondents were ambivalent or pessimistic that their work life will change for the better in the next five years.

Of the various employer-provided benefits that were mentioned, the poll found that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this challenge. However, the overall demand for many women is to have more choice in when and how they work.