2020 was filled with unprecedented events in all facets of life, and, as many have noted across the globe, the year became a landmark for the call to action against racism.

From the incident in Central Park, where a white woman called the police on a black bird watcher, to the murder of George Floyd by police officers, and when the police officers who murdered Breonna Taylor in her home were not indicted for their involvement in her murder, it is clear that racism is still very prevalent and pervasive. It reaches far and wide, including at home and in the workplace, where power dynamics and structural racism can be multiplied. 

Through his talk, “Social Work’s Role in Black Lives Matter,” Wayne Reid discussed racism’s reach into social workers’ professional lives. In the workplace, there are certain barriers that people of color face that white people do not. To address these barriers and inequities, equality, diversity, and inclusion advisory groups are often created. Too often, the burden of creating these groups and addressing racism in the workplace falls solely on people of color, when it is a fight that requires everyone’s involvement, especially those in positions of power. This is part of the push for people to go beyond being non-racist and to become anti-racist– actively fighting against racism and advocating for changes against racist policies and practices. It is an active, ongoing process, not only in one’s personal life but in professional environments as well.

Creating an Anti-Racist Workplace

Wayne works for the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), which currently has a goal to create a universal anti-racist framework that is applicable to all aspects of the social work field. This includes creating an anti-racist workplace, and Wayne and the BASW have an idea for how that would look. As Wayne described, an anti-racist workplace would have a very specific anti-racist mission statement, making sure to interview people of color, to integrate an anti-racism mentality into policies and procedures, to provide adequate anti-racism training to all staff, and to conduct annual pay reviews for employees of color to ensure they are being paid fairly relative to their white colleagues. With these steps, workplaces would have to take active steps to ensure they were discussing race within the workplace and enforcing anti-racist policies.

On top of these ideas for an anti-racist workplace, including mandatory professional development courses aimed at educating people on how to be anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, and anti-oppressive would be beneficial. There are already experts in the world of anti-racism who have done the groundwork, and their expertise can be utilized to help implement anti-racist practices within workplaces. For example, Stanford University has created an “Anti-Racism Toolkit” for managers to better equip themselves to address racism in the workplace and move towards a more inclusive environment, and the W.K Kellogg Foundation has created a Racial Equity Resource Guide full of training methods and workshops to provide structure for anti-racist professional development.

Leadership Inequality

Wayne also discussed the importance of leadership programs for people of color within their workplaces. In the US, black people only make up 3.2% of senior leadership roles, and only 0.8% of Fortune 500 CEO positions. Employers need to sufficiently invest in leadership training programs and provide the resources to ensure the success of people of color within them. Leadership programs for people of color would help address the lack of people of color in leadership positions within the social work field and beyond. For social work specifically, in conjunction with these leadership programs, employers should create programs allowing social workers of color to mentor senior staff members as well, providing insight for them regarding the challenges people of color face in the workplace. That said, while the benefits of this type of program are important, boundary setting and confidentiality are just as vital and would need to be well thought out prior to implementation.

Addressing Education

In order to assist in diversifying leadership, higher education must also be addressed. Despite the increase in people of color attending college, there is still a large imbalance in representation compared to the general US population.

For the social work field, it is important to address the accessibility of social work education programs. Because they are often expensive and have numerous requirements for entry, entry into the field is inaccessible for many. They also need to include a more deliberately anti-racist curriculum, which can be guided by people of color through their lived experiences, as well as experts in the field. The field of social work has long been dominated by white women, and that imbalance has impacted the curriculum that we use today.

Moving Forward

As long as people continue to ignore racism and the effects it continues to have, nothing will change. Wayne and the BASW’s work to integrate anti-racist education and policies into the workplace and social work schools is crucial to the future of social work and the progress of anti-racist work. Social work needs to play a large role in the changing of policies and practices to ensure that the future is more equitable for all.

Maybe I am a hopeless romantic, but I believe that workplace environments are akin in many ways to romantic relationships. If we spend the majority of our time in a certain place, doing certain things, we should love it, just as we should love a romantic partner.  Both need some degree of give and take and require mutual effort in order to thrive.

Relationship Between Work Environment & Job Satisfaction in an Organization for Employee Turnover by David Ingram defined work environment as follows.

“A work environment is made up of a range of factors, including company culture, management styles, hierarchies and human resources policies.”

Here are four smart questions to help you to determine the quality of your work environment.

Do I feel safe, stable, and secure?

Consider the physical environment of the workplace. Building maintenance and upkeep impacts the feeling of safety. Is the building constructed of strong materials? Is it constructed in a way that limits damage during inclement weather? Does the ventilation system provide adequate fresh breathing air? Does the heating and cooling system provide protection from the temperature fluctuations? Are structural problems repaired immediately? Is the office space clean and pest free?

This question addresses the basic human need for safety. The location, type, and maintenance of the workplace all impact one’s feeling of safety when at work.  Many social workers practice in areas of great need. The buildings are often in financially impoverished areas. Some offices are located in places labeled as high crime areas.  Many social workers travel to their clients, so the “office” is where the client happens to be at any moment. We meet clients under bridges, in wooded areas, or in homes. The actual location may not be as important as the measures to maintain as much safety as possible for both workers and clients.

Another aspect of safety involves the stability of the employer. This addresses whether the agency or organization is financially sound with strong support, as well as if the leadership has a vision for the work and communicates the vision clearly. The organization’s actions and behaviors toward clients and employees should align with the stated mission, and employees should be assured that they will have longevity in their employment. The sense of security is reinforced when employees receive adequate benefits and paychecks are distributed as scheduled.

Can I be my true self?

This question goes beyond individual personalities. It requires an in-depth assessment of style, mode of operation, as well as personality, on an individual and corporate level.  Every workplace environment has its own collective personality. Think about where you currently work. Do you feel as if you fit? Some work environments have suit-and-tie, serious personalities. Others have a looser and more playful character. These descriptions depict opposite ends of the continuum, but most work environments fall somewhere in the middle. Your comfort level plays a role in your effectiveness at work. Comfort promotes confidence.

Think about your interactions with co-workers and colleagues. Do those interactions cause you to feel welcome and important related to the organization’s mission? Are disagreements handled with reasonable discourse and discussion? Does the supervisory team focus on the mission of the organization or on their own professional rise in the organization? Do employees work as a unified team?

Can I realize the full extent of my skills, abilities, and interests?

Before answering this question, social workers should have a clear understanding of their skills, abilities, and interests. We become frustrated when we cannot use or expand upon these aspects of self. A lack of challenge causes boredom and complacency as we resign ourselves to accept the droll of stagnant repetition.

Workplace environments that encourage employee growth cultivate loyalty.   Some social workers may only think about how their skills, abilities, or interests enable them to meet the requirements of their jobs. They should, however, think about the impact these qualities have on their capacity to meet and exceed the mission of the organization. Insightful leaders in an organization will understand and use all available resources to meet the organization’s mission. This includes allowing staff members to do what they do best.

Are we working toward the same outcome?

Do you share the vision and mission of your organization? Does the result you are working towards match the result your organization expects? These are crucial questions for social workers who have been on the job for at least five years. You have worked in the organization long enough to know whether your goals align. If you are or have been in a committed relationship, think about the dissonance that occurs when the individuals disagree on joint goals and desires. No one is happy and the relationship suffers.  Employment is not very different. You will commit to the organization’s stated outcome and method for achieving it when you work in your ideal work environment.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the United States caused a serious disruption in the daily lives of most American workers. Although many people are able to work from home, or are still working under “essential employee” status, others have been laid off or furloughed. 

The Healthcare Sector

In the healthcare industry, doctors and nurses, radiologists and anesthesiologists, receptionists, and other healthcare staff are facing furloughs in the millions. As the rise of COVID-19 leads to the restriction of all unnecessary or elective procedures, private doctors’ offices, and specialty clinics such as endoscopy centers, plastic surgery facilities, and out-patient/day surgery centers are out of work across the country. 

In fact, reports this past April cited that nearly 1.9 million Americans were employed at family medicine offices which closed because of the virus. While doctors may still be able to “see” patients through teledoc-type systems, many of the nurses, medical assistants, receptionists, and janitorial staff have either been laid off, are experiencing severely reduced hours, or have been furloughed.

A furlough means workers are suspended without pay but, typically, they do still receive health benefits and are eligible for re-hire once the company reopens. In fact, government workers still retain employment rights that prevent them from being fired during a furlough without the typical process. As helpful as these benefits are, furloughed employees still need a source of income while waiting for the virus to run its course. There is an abundance of uncertainty surrounding how quickly businesses will re-open and when they will get back to full capacity.

Other Employment

While some businesses are shuttered, others may be hiring. In most cases, if a furloughed worker is interested in doing so, they are free to seek other employment. Similar to seeking employment while working, the employer cannot retaliate against an employee for finding another job while they are on furlough. This can be full-time, part-time, permanent, seasonal, or temporary work. 

If a furloughed employee does not want to find another job permanently, they usually have the option of seeking other employment during the length of the furlough. However, employers are able to create policies against furloughed workers having simultaneous employment during the furlough in situations where it may jeopardize the safety and security of the company. This can include trade secrets, protected company information, customer/client sources, and other company property. Employees should check with their individual employers to discuss their options of seeking short term employment until the company is able to bring them back on board. 

Unfortunately, many of the frontline healthcare workers who were battling the virus every day have been furloughed and quarantined due to exposure to, or worse, contraction of the virus. Hundreds of healthcare workers, especially those in states significantly impacted by the virus, have been infected, and countless more have gotten sick in states which have not kept track of their case count. If a healthcare worker is unable to work, unable to seek other employment, and unable to seek temporary employment, what can they do? 

Unemployment Benefits

Thankfully, most furloughed employees are able to receive unemployment benefits. Employees must be careful about unemployment because if upon returning to work, they get back-pay from their employer, the employee will have to repay any benefits they received. However, with new, federal, temporary rules set in place to combat the financial consequences of the virus, many furloughed workers can find help. In addition to receiving $600 each week on top of the state’s maximum amount until July 31st, applicants will also be able to receive benefits for two or three times longer than normal. Also, contractors and self-employed individuals are now eligible for benefits. The waiting period to apply for benefits, the regular check-ins, and the ongoing job search requirements have been waived. With a record 6.6 million Americans filing for unemployment in April and rates still disproportionately high now, this relief couldn’t come soon enough.  

Answering the Call

With COVID-19 still going strong, these furloughed healthcare workers have answered the call to help. In New York, a cry for help yielded over 80,000 healthcare volunteers to relieve those nurses and medical staff run ragged in New York hospitals. With the number of COVID cases rising nationwide, the more doctors there are, the more people treated and, hopefully, the more who recover. 

Many states are loosening licensing requirements in order to meet demand. A simple Google search will lead you to page after page of hospitals asking for volunteers to help with the crisis. Doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers are coming out of retirement to help. Nurses are relocating to other states to provide assistance. Doctors, unable to practice as they regularly would due to the shutdowns, are going back to the basics to help treat the virus.

For those with experience outside of the healthcare industry, there are still many companies that are hiring during the pandemic. All essential companies, including grocery stores, gas stations, many retail stores, and restaurants may have reduced hours in some locations but are “business as usual” otherwise. Companies like 7-Eleven, ACE Hardware, CVS Pharmacy, Dominos, and UPS, to name a few, are experienced a rise in demand due to the virus and are hiring at various locations.

Companies with remote positions are also hiring. This includes positions in the technology field, social media forums, and tech support positions for internet and cable companies. The virtual meeting platform Zoom is experiencing much higher demand since the shutdowns began and is looking for employees, as are internet/television companies like Spectrum. 

Every American has been affected by the spread of COVID-19, in one aspect or another. Whether struggling with the insanity of working a healthcare or retail job, the nuances of working from home, or the financial consequences of a layoff or furlough, most of us are eagerly awaiting the day society returns to normalcy. For those who have been furloughed, the situation is all the more difficult to navigate. Whether you choose to seek new or temporary employment with one of the companies that are still hiring or you decide to take advantage of the current assistance available through unemployment, there is help available.