The pandemic shined a light on our diversity problems. They’re not going anywhere

This is Working Together, a weekly series on equity in the workplace. Have ideas about what we should discuss next week? Let me know in the comments using #WorkingTogether or email me at [email protected]. Happy Thanksgiving!

Diverse employees have long faced an uphill battle in the workplace. The pandemic has simply made the situation that much harder. 

That’s the main finding of global research conducted by McKinsey on how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting diverse talent at work. Across geographies, women are struggling more than men, both personally and professionally. They are 1.5 times more likely to say they are experiencing challenges with mental health and increased household responsibility than their male peers. All people of color in the U.S. are 2.2 times more likely to have concerns about their career progression than their white male peers. And members of the LGBTQ+ community are 1.4 times more likely than their straight counterparts to be concerned about fairness of performance reviews, workload increases and a lack connectivity and belonging

These findings are worrisome, as the pandemic and protests against systemic racism have in many ways put the spotlight on diversity and inclusion efforts across corporate America. While a majority of the executives McKinsey surveyed agreed that D&I efforts remain a top priority, 90% said they faced challenges in executing their strategies.

“In a turbulent year like no other, there has never been as universal a need to reimagine working norms for all employees,” the report notes. “Leaders must commit to building a more equitable and inclusive workplace to ensure a positive recovery for all.”

With childcare options still stunted across much of the United States, parents continue to struggle as well. Mothers with young children have reduced their work hours at a rate that’s four to five times higher than fathers. And working parents are more likely than their non-parent peers to cite concerns about job security, career progression and mental health. 

So, what’s the road ahead? Companies need to expand the programs they created in response to the crisis to meet the needs of diverse workers, McKinsey notes. Ensuring there is an empowered leader to keep diversity and inclusion efforts at the top of the agenda is a start, but giving that executive an appropriate team and budget is necessary as well. Employers will also need to rethink what flexibility means at work, as diverse employees continue to struggle with their mental health. 

Check out above my discussion above with McKinsey researchers Ana Mendy and Mekala Krishna about the results of the report. We also touched base with Diversio CEO Laura McGee on the role technology can play to support employees and stamp out bias.

What’s Working 

41. We saw women move into the CEO roles at two Fortune 500 companies last week: PG&E appointed Patti Pope, the former CEO of CMS Energy Corp., and Dick’s Sporting Goods moved up former president Lauren Hobart. That brings the total of Fortune 500 female CEOs to 41; still only 8% in total, but a record high. 

‘Time will tell.’ It’s still too soon to know if efforts to combat systemic racism in corporate America in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing will be a sustained effort, said Wharton School of Business dean Erika James. That said, students at Wharton are demanding diversity and inclusion be front and center in their course work, an encouraging sign from the next generation of business leaders. [NYTimes]

Ambitious goals. NBCUniversial outlined a plan to make their workforce 50% women and 50% total nonwhite. Newsrooms are largely white and male. Currently, Conde Nast, NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC is 26.5% diverse, with Black people accounting for 8% of employees. [DiversityInc]

What’s Not

1.6 million. With schools shuttered and childcare options unavailable across much of the country, there are now 1.6 million fewer mothers in the workforce than there would be without the coronavirus. “Other countries have social safety nets; the U.S. has women,” said sociologist Jessica Calarco. [NYTimes]

Who’s Pushing Us Forward 

Confidence in conflict. It’s the day before Thanksgiving, so I wanted to re-share my discussion with Kwame Christian of The American Negotiation Institute on how you can have difficult conversations with your family. His top tip? Never enter into a conversation thinking you’ll change someone’s opinion. Instead, focus on understanding theirs. 

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