Enjoy the inaugural episode of Catalyst Spills the Tea, a video YouTube series where we spill the tea on the trend, “lazy girl jobs.” Coined by social media influencer Gabrielle Judge, the notion of “lazy girl jobs” has taken over the discussion on employees looking for better work-life balance.

Gen Z, in particular, is ushering in a new attitude towards work-life balance. No matter the generation, workplace expectations are shifting, with employees everywhere wanting more flexibility. “Lazy Girl jobs” are one example of how employees are taking to the internet to discuss their hacks for better work-life balance.

Coined by social media influencer Gabrielle Judge, the phrase is meant to describe a non-technical job where you have a comfortable salary, a lot of flexibility, and are not overworked. Are “Lazy Girl jobs” just healthy jobs? Does the term have a negative connotation for women? Why did this term cause such an uproar and what does it mean for talent recruiters, workplaces and the future of work?

• Danielle Shelton, Director, Talent Acquisition
• Tara Van Bommel, Senior Director, Statistician
• Host, Mariana Vanin, Director, Global Communications

About Catalyst Spills the Tea

Catalyst Spills the Tea is a video series where we discuss trending topics in workplace culture; gender equity; and diversity, equity and inclusion. We are all about creating equitable workplaces for everyone, so you won’t find people more obsessed with workplace culture more than us. Yes, we love research, but we also love memes, video shorts, pop culture, and debating hot trends just like the rest of you. We decided to bring our watercooler talk and infuse it with a little bit of our research in this video series. Essentially, we’re bringing the research receipts to #worktok. Buckle up!

Wait, what does “spill the tea” mean?

Spilling the tea is slang used to refer to gossip or news, popular on the Internet and social media.

Get More Insights

Sign up to receive the C-Newsletter with more thought leadership, tools and events.

Transcript

00:00:04:00

Welcome to Catalyst Spills, the tea where we break down and discuss trending topics and diversity, equity and inclusion. Today I’m your host, Marianna Venning, director of Global Communications, and we’re spilling the tea on Lazy Girl jobs.

Tara, as a future of work researcher and Danielle, as a talent professional, what do you think of this trend and why it resonated with so many people, particularly with Gen Z, who talk to the trend quite fiercely on TikTok, where it originated?

00:00:41:26

Sure. Well, we’ll all happen and go first. It’s great to be here today and nice to see you, Danielle and Mariana, to talk about this. You know, I think really important topic. And, you know, I would really start off by saying that this trend is not really a new phenomenon. So two years ago, we called it quiet, quitting.

And in both cases, it reflects really a larger societal shift and pushback against hustle culture. So from the future of work perspective, this really fits under the broader theme of what we would call shifting work and life expectations. So really, after decades of increased productivity alongside wage stagnation and a skyrocketing cost of living, millennials and especially Gen Z are realizing that the notion of the American dream, you know, achieved by hard work in a meritocracy was really just a ruse.

But what we see in our research, regardless of the decade that someone was born, employees of all genders, and we just want greater flexibility. They want to be paid a living wage and they don’t want to sacrifice their well-being to do so.

00:01:50:24

Yep, I totally agree. And you know, when I’m connecting with candidates, one also thank you for having me and Tara. Fantastic. See you. And Marianne, I think true opportunity, you know, when I’m connecting with candidates, whether that’s, you know, for our roles at Catalyst or just in general, people are look at the biggest thing I hear from candidates is that I’m looking for a better work life balance.

00:02:12:03

What about the term, though, Right? The, the use of lazy use of girl to describe the concept, this kind of role, There’s a negative connotation. There’s a gendered component. Why? And what, if anything, does that signal? What’s the message that it sends?

00:02:35:18

The phrase itself suggests that women who want flexible work do not have the same career ambitions as men, and even worse, it equates them with children. You know, what I really like to think about is what do we call this role?

If it were a man seeking this position or a father, would we label him as a lazy boy? Would we recommend him or would we commend him for being a supportive caretaker?

00:03:01:05

Again, I think the the word choice that she used probably wasn’t the best. But I do love the fact that, you know, she was talking about, again, work life balance roles that you can have flexible work, flexible hours, but that still doesn’t mean that your job is easy. Another you know, I saw in the comment section like we were like, yeah, those jobs I have those jobs.

They aren’t easy. They are mentally draining that mentally draining still can take up, I mean, your mental capacity and then carry over into your work life balance. So again, I think word choice could have been a bit difference in the sense and I don’t think there is any job that is easier than the other.

00:03:42:25

And one thing that really stuck out to me when I watched the original video was she talked about how, you know, there’s so many jobs out there, you can just go get them and you could have this job and then you could be a mom and it would be so easy.

And that just really struck a chord with me because it is so just misguided in terms of like what what work is like and what it’s like to be a caretaker. There is no job out there where you can work and take care of children at the same time. Now, flexible work that allows you to do your work around your caregiving.

00:04:16:14

But to say that you could do both at the same time I thought was really problematic. And I have to say that I couldn’t help but wonder how many moms are out there watching, just thinking, you know, has she ever had a job and try to take care of a child before? Because those are full time things, that one does not happen at the same time as the other.

00:04:34:16

And really be able to frame your work centered around your life, right?

Not your life centered around your work, I think is really important, but it’s I think it’s hard to do that if you are unsure about how your work works. Right. And what those hours look like and whether they have flexible work and how they support caregivers and other people and their different lifestyles. So I think that’s another thing that when I was looking up some research behind this, there are quite a few companies and larger companies that are really defining what works and how they work as a work, which I think is really important for then people to really plan on how they want to live their life, which includes work.

00:05:14:02

So thank you both again, so, so much. This was such an enlightening conversation, and I’m sure our audience will feel the same. Thanks again.

00:05:26:05

Thank you. Thanks.

The post Video: Catalyst Spills the Tea on Lazy Girl Jobs appeared first on Catalyst.

Watch this panel discussion centered on employee engagement and creating a sense of belonging in today’s work environment. Together, we explore non-traditional employee benefits and discuss the direct link between benefits and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

More specifically, our panel of Catalyst experts examine and discuss the following areas:

• Ways companies can cultivate a sense of belonging to increase employee engagement in different work environments and its impact on employee retention.
• Explore ways HR benefits and policies work to enhance workplace inclusion as a component of recruitment and retention strategies.
• Discuss how employee wellness programs and other non-financial incentives influence employee satisfaction.
• Unpack methods to measuring employee engagement, identify tips to analyze results and insights, and identify areas of opportunities.

Speakers

Stacey Bain, Chief Operating Officer, Catalyst

Aledia Evans, Senior Director, US Corporate Engagement, Catalyst

Jessica Klein, CPA, Senior Vice President, Total Rewards, Humana

Moderator

Allison Conklin, Director, US Corporate Engagement, Catalyst

The post Virtual Roundtable Recording: Reignite Employee Satisfaction and Engagement Through Inclusive Benefits and Policies appeared first on Catalyst.

Join the Catalyst team as we host a panel discussion centered on employee engagement and creating a sense of belonging in today’s work environment. Together, we will explore non-traditional employee benefits and discuss the direct link between benefits and fostering an inclusive workplace culture.

More specifically, our panel of Catalyst experts will examine and discuss the following areas:

• Ways companies can cultivate a sense of belonging to increase employee engagement in different work environments and its impact on employee retention.
• Explore ways HR benefits and policies work to enhance workplace inclusion as a component of recruitment and retention strategies
• Discuss how employee wellness programs and other non-financial incentives influence employee satisfaction
• Unpack methods to measuring employee engagement, identify tips to analyze results and insights, and identify areas of opportunities.

We invite executive leaders, managers, HR leaders, DEI practitioners, and champions of inclusion to join the discussion. The event is complimentary for Catalyst Supporters. Registration is mandatory.

Speakers

Stacey Bain, Chief Operating Officer, Catalyst

Aledia Evans, Senior Director, US Corporate Engagement, Catalyst

Jessica Klein, CPA, Senior Vice President, Total Rewards, Humana

Moderator

Allison Conklin, Director, US Corporate Engagement, Catalyst

Note: Please log in to the website with your Catalyst Supporter organization email to access registration. If you are NOT a Catalyst Supporter, please email us to proceed with payment and registration. For questions, please contact catalystevents@catalyst.org.

The post Virtual Roundtable: Reignite Employee Satisfaction and Engagement Through Inclusive Benefits and Policies appeared first on Catalyst.

Many organizations have seen the benefits—for their business outcomes and in support of their employees—of creating more flexible and remote workplaces. Catalyst research finds that employees with access to remote work report increased innovation, engagement, and commitment to their organizations and decreased levels of burnout and intent to leave their jobs. In fact, many workers who have had access to flexible and remote work during Covid-19 report that they would like to continue working in similar ways. Access to flexible and remote work is especially important for working parents affected by school and childcare closures.

What are the next steps—how can an organization make the goal of an inclusive flexible and remote work culture come alive?

Rethink workplace flexibility.
Rethinking workplace flexibility means redesigning the workplace and workday for broad flexibility around when, where, and how work gets done. Flexible work is not limited to only the location flexibility afforded through remote work. Schedule flexibility is also a way to bring more flexibility into your workplace—even for the frontline. In fact, research found that when workers had access to flexible schedules, they reported 29% higher productivity.

If you offer remote work options, build a remote-first culture.
“Remote first” means that even if people are required or choose to be onsite in hybrid workplaces, the default is remote work, such that policies and practices reflect this expectation, and everyone behaves as if they were working remotely to include their colleagues working from different locations or schedules. Remote-first behaviors also help to alleviate proximity bias, ensuring that people still receive career advancement opportunities regardless of schedule or location.

Be open to less rigid hybrid work plans—a flexible combination of remote and onsite work.
Combining the hybrid and remote-first approaches ensures that hybrid working doesn’t become the worst of both worlds, with unequal access to opportunities, creating disparate employee experiences and burnout from “always on” synchronous communication.

It is critical that organizations and leaders are careful not to create two tiers of workers, giving career advantages to those team members who want or need to be onsite more frequently. The environment must be inclusive to ensure that women, particularly women of color, are not left behind.

There is no one-size-fits-all path forward. Although some organizations will move closer to an all-remote model, with full choice around location and schedule flexibility, others will favor a more structured hybrid approach. Regardless of what model organizations implement, inclusive hybrid workplaces must be built purposefully to ensure equal access to career opportunity, the benefits of flexible and remote working, and addressing life/work needs.

Catalyst Resources

Practices

• Creating an Inclusive Hybrid Workplace Supporter Exclusive
  Work from home, remote work, flexible work arrangements: prior to March 2020, many employees around the world had little or no exposure to these concepts. While some organizations had built technological infrastructure and remote-work norms as part of their culture, others had not. The Covid-19 pandemic generated a need for companies to shift radically to implement remote work for office workers and a system of social distancing, testing, and other in-depth health and safety procedures for essential on-site workers. Seven organizations—Colliers, Dentons, EY, General Motors, GitLab, Hilti, and Pitney Bowes—shared their unique perspectives on constructing this new reality of work.
• The Hartford: A Deliberate and Courageous Transformation Supporter Exclusive
  Sustaining its unique company culture was fundamental to The Hartford’s Place of Purpose work model, which has foundational elements of empathy, equity, and trust. Two types of location-flexible work have been available since April 2022 in this model: Hybrid, where employees work two to three days a week remotely, and Remote, where employees work remotely four to five days a week. The model also includes In-office, where employees work in one of The Hartford’s offices five days a week. With these three options, the Place of Purpose model aligns business performance, collaboration, and flexibility.
• Barilla: An Italian Family-Owned Company’s Journey to Global Inclusion Supporter Exclusive
  Organizations with essential or frontline workers often struggle to bring more flexibility to their onsite workers. Barilla’s 2021 Catalyst Award-winning initiative discusses one of their programs to make flexible work available to all employees and addresses inclusive hybrid flexible work now and into the future: Smartworking.
• Deloitte: Inspiring Women Supporter Exclusive
  Deloitte’s different types of flex policies provide employees with a common language to help articulate their needs and request support from their managers and colleagues. Includes:
  • Place Flex: Employees can work remotely or in different offices as needed or desired for overall well-being.
  • Team Flex: Teams on-site with clients may work flexibly so that each individual can have work-life balance.
  • Time Flex: Employees can set their own start and stop times each day to maximize productivity.

Infographic

• 10 Models of Workplace Flexibility
  Models and best practices for building a remote-first and flextime-first work culture.

Online Learning

• Knowledge Burst: Leading Your Hybrid Team Inclusively Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Beyond Remote—Flexibility Is Key Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Running More Inclusive Meetings Supporter Exclusive

Ask Catalyst Express

• Flexible Work Arrangements

Other Resources

• How Companies Stopped Worrying and Are Giving Workers the Hybrid Workplace They Want Fast Company
• The Advantages and Challenges of Hybrid Work Gallup
• Hybrid-Remote: Understanding Nuances and Pitfalls GitLab
• What Is Hybrid Work? The Employer’s Guide to Hybrid Workplaces Kumospace
• Hybrid Work Is Here to Stay. Here Are 7 Ways to Manage Your Workforce MIT Sloan

Return to Ask Catalyst Express.

The post Inclusive Hybrid Workplaces: Ask Catalyst Express appeared first on Catalyst.

Flexible work arrangements are part of “work-life effectiveness,” a talent-management strategy that promotes work environments capable of responding to changes in business needs quickly, creatively, and efficiently while providing employees the control they need to work smarter, address their non-work priorities, and be resilient and effective. A work-life effectiveness approach fosters strong performances by both individuals and organizations over the long term.

Catalyst Resources

Infographic

• 10 Models of Workplace Flexibility
  Models and best practices for building a remote-first and flextime-first work culture.

Reports

• Remote-Work Options Can Boost Productivity and Curb Burnout
  Remote work is here to stay. Catalyst research demonstrates that remote work can increase productivity and decrease burnout.
• The Great Work/Life Divide in Canada
  Catalyst-CNBC survey finds unfulfilled desire for flexible and/or remote work during the pandemic.
• The Great Work/Life Divide in the United States
  How employee desire for flexibility and concern from companies is driving the future of work.

Online Learning

• Knowledge Burst: Beyond Remote – Flexibility is Key Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Leading Your Hybrid Team Inclusively Supporter Exclusive
• Knowledge Burst: Running More Inclusive Meetings Supporter Exclusive

Practices

• UPMC: Care and Culture Starts and Ends With People: Executive Workforce Demographics Supporter Exclusive
  Flexible work offerings are important in attracting a greater number of applicants across job scope and function. Depending on their roles and department practices, employees can now work remotely, choose and alter their start or end times for shifts, or use compressed workweeks (e.g., a four-day week or weekends only, which is popular among nurses).
• Boston Scientific: Accelerating Progress for Women by Creating Equal Opportunities for Growth Supporter Exclusive
  The company established its Workflex policy to provide employees with more options for the ways they can get their work done. The policy allows them to work at a reduced schedule, work flexible hours, participate in a job share with another part-time employee, and work onsite, hybrid, or remotely. All employees have access to at least some aspects of Workflex (e.g., a lab scientist might not be able to work remotely, but they can work flexibly), and the program may be used regardless of reason.
• How We Lead With Inclusion Through Crisis: Covid-19 Response Stories From Catalyst Supporters Supporter Exclusive
  Eight Catalyst Supporters—Bell Canada, Chevron, Deloitte Australia, ExxonMobil, EY, Pitney Bowes, Royal DSM, and Unilever—shared their stories of how they’re reimagining the future of work, leading with inclusion through crisis, tackling inequities, connecting with empathy, developing trust on teams, and working remotely and flexibly to successfully navigate these unprecedented times.
• Deloitte: Inspiring Women Supporter Exclusive
  Deloitte Flex Policies—Different types of flex policies provide employees with a common language to help articulate their needs and request support from their managers and colleagues. Includes:
  • Travel Flex: Employees may turn down travel on a short-term basis without career penalty.
  • School Flex: Employees can purchase additional annual leave to utilize during school holidays.
  • Micro Flex: Employees may take short breaks for appointments such as the dentist, meetings at school, etc. They are encouraged to indicate these in a shared calendar and make reasons visible, so flexible working becomes the norm.
  • Hours Flex: Employees may work part-time and still continue to advance in their careers.

Tools

• Enhancing Inclusive Employee Experiences: Scenario Planning for the Future of Work Supporter Exclusive 
  Catalyst analyzed four different scenarios of the future of work to better understand shifts related to Covid-19 and illustrate examples of policies and practices to move your organization toward a more inclusive and equitable post-pandemic workplace, including Flexible and Remote Work to Build Inclusive Teams.

Webinars

• Developing Inclusive and Flexible Teams Supporter Exclusive 
• Working Remotely: The Global Impact on Employee Experiences Supporter Exclusive 
• Being Intentional About Inclusion in Flexible and Remote Work Supporter Exclusive 

Ask Catalyst Express

• Inclusive Hybrid Workplaces

Other Resources

• Flexible Working Practices The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
• Extremely Transparent & Incredibly Remote Fast Company
• Why Flexible Work Is Essential to Your DEI Strategy Harvard Business Review
• Americans Are Embracing Flexible Work—and They Want More of It McKinsey & Company

Return to Ask Catalyst Express.

The post Flexible Work Arrangements: Ask Catalyst Express appeared first on Catalyst.

The post Leveraging Disruption for Equity appeared first on Catalyst.

Watch to hear best practices from leading companies on strategies to attract and retain talent during this turbulent time. Learn how techniques around empathy and inclusion can be used to assist in combating this trend with consideration to the future of the workplace.

The post Addressing the Great Resignation; Redefining the Workplace (Roundtable Recording) appeared first on Catalyst.

Work from home, remote work, flexible work arrangements: prior to March 2020, many employees around the world had little or no exposure to these concepts. While some organizations had built technological infrastructure and remote-work norms as part of their culture, others had not. The Covid-19 pandemic generated a need for companies to shift radically to implement remote work for office workers and a system of social distancing, testing, and other in-depth health and safety procedures for essential on-site workers.

Nearly two years later, we are still facing unprecedented challenges in the future of work, including the reopening of physical offices and the increasing desire of many employees to continue working remotely. Catalyst research has long documented the benefits of flexible work arrangements, including the recruitment and retention of top talent, as well as employee reports of increased innovation, engagement, commitment to their organizations, and feelings of inclusion. The positive outcomes are clear, but the path forward may not be.

Seven organizations — Colliers, Dentons, EY, General Motors, GitLab, Hilti, and Pitney Bowes — shared their unique perspectives on constructing this new reality of work. These examples can serve as models for strategies, policies, and practices for your own workplace.

How to cite this product: Creating an inclusive hybrid workplace (Practices). (2021). Catalyst.

The post Creating an Inclusive Hybrid Workplace (Practices) appeared first on Catalyst.

How Employee Desire for Flexibility and Concern From Companies Is Driving the Future of Work

US Catalyst-CNBC survey finds unfulfilled desire for flexible and/or remote work during the pandemic.

More than seven of 10 employees (76%) say they want their company to make work permanently flexible in terms of things like schedule and/or location. But there is a catch. The desire for work flexibility is being met with a conflicting message—about three-quarters of employees report that their employer thinks they are more innovative (72%) and work harder (75%) in the office or on-site, according to a survey of 903 employees in the United States commissioned by Catalyst and CNBC, conducted online by The Harris Poll.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on employees, so much so that half of employees (50%) intend to make career changes as a result—and the top change they cite is asking for location flexibility (i.e., remote work flexibility) (41%). Working parents are particularly likely to want to make a career change, including exiting their jobs. Sixty-four percent of parents with children ages 3-17 intend to make career changes due to Covid-19 (vs. just 40% of those who are not parents of children ages 3-17), and among those who do, 27% plan to quit their current job to start their own business (vs. just 10% of those who are not parents of children ages 3-17).

The data highlights the pandemic’s continued impact on the workplace, showing that the “Great Resignation”—the mass, voluntary exodus from the workforce—will continue if companies and managers don’t demonstrate more empathy or care and understanding for employees’ concerns as well as life/work needs.

Key Takeaways

Employees Desire Flexible and Remote Work Options

Flexible-work options are critical for employees: a whopping 76% of employees say they want their company to make work permanently flexible, for example when it comes to things like schedule or location.

Location flexibility, in particular, tops the list of changes employees intend to make in their career. Among those who intend to make career changes due to Covid-19, 41% said they are going to ask for location flexibility.

At the same time, there appears to be a disconnect between employers and employees; most employees say they are getting the message that their company thinks employees are more innovative (72%) and work harder (75%) in the office or on-site.

Career Change Decision-Making

Many employees (50%) want to make a variety of career moves because of the pandemic. But among those who plan to make a change, requesting location flexibility (41%) holds the top spot. Other changes they cite are:

• asking their employer for a raise and/or promotion (39%).
• looking for a job in a new industry (33%).
• seeking another job in the same industry (32%).
• planning to quit their current job and start their own business (22%).

Overall, roughly two in five employees are considering quitting their job because their company (41%) or manager (37%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.

Employed men are far more likely than employed women to say they are considering quitting their job because their company (50% vs. 30%) or manager (44% vs. 29%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.

Pressures Faced by Working Parents

Working parents of children ages 3-17 are hit hard: more than half are considering leaving their jobs because they feel their company (54%) or manager (51%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.

Almost two in three working parents (65%) think their ability to do their best work has been impacted by worries over sending their children back to school in the pandemic.

Most working parents say they want their children’s school to mandate masking for everyone (78%) and mandate vaccination for eligible students, teachers, and school staff (69%).

Working parents could benefit from more support from their employer. While roughly three out of five working parents (62%) say their employer has improved their childcare offerings and policies since last year, a similar proportion of working parents (61%) feel they are burnt out at work from managing their children’s educational needs during Covid-19.

Demographics

Flexible and Remote Work Are Critical—But Companies Are Sending a Mixed Message

Flexible-work options are critical for employees: a whopping 76% of employees say they want their company to make work permanently flexible in terms of things like schedule or location. Half of the employees (50%) intend to make a career change because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of those who intend to make a career change, 41% are going to ask for location flexibility.

Most employees think their company (78%) and their manager (80%) understand their need to manage life and work demands. About seven in 10 (72%) say their employer supports flexible-work options related to work schedule (i.e., schedule flexibility, flextime) and two of three employees (66%) say the same of work location (i.e., remote work, distributed work).

But there is a catch. Employees are also getting the message that their employer favors on-site work. Roughly three of four employees say their employer believes employees are more innovative (72%) and work harder (75%) in the office/onsite. It’s a mixed and contradictory message: both that companies understand their need to manage life and work demands and support work flexibility, yet their employer still seems to prefer on-site working.

The Pandemic and Lack of Employer Concern Is Motivating Employees to Make a Change

The pandemic has had a major impact on the employee experience, and if more employers don’t pay attention to the needs of their employees, they may lose them. Half of employed Americans (50%) intend to make career changes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among those who intend to make a career change, asking for location flexibility (41%) tops the list of changes they intend to make. This is followed by asking their employer for a raise and/or promotion (39%) and looking for another job in a new industry (33%). Next, 32% say they’re going to look for another job in the same industry, while about one in five (22%) are going to quit their current job and start their own business.

During times of crisis, it is vital that employers and leaders show care and concern for their employees. But more than half of employees (57%) don’t feel comfortable sharing their life circumstances or feelings with their manager.

Findings also reveal that lack of care from employers is motivating employees to consider new employment.

• Roughly two in five employees are considering leaving their job because their company (41%) or their manager (37%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.
• Interestingly, while much has been written about the impact of the pandemic on working women, the survey found that employed men are far more likely than employed women to say they are considering quitting their job because their company (50% vs. 30%) or manager (44% vs. 29%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.

Career or job moves are not the only things employees want to change. Many people want changes to have more fulfilling jobs and lives.

Employers can make a difference. Among those who work fully remotely, nearly two in five (39%) say their employer has implemented practices or policies since the pandemic that have positively impacted their willingness to stay at their job.

Parents’ Exit Plan from Their Careers or Jobs Is Top of Mind

The impact of Covid-19 is evident among working parents especially, as they are significantly more likely to intend to make career changes because of the pandemic than those without children (64% vs. 40%).

Differences also are prevalent when looking at the types of career changes working parents plan to make compared to non-parents. Among those who intend to make career changes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, working parents are more likely than working non-parents to say they intend to:

• Ask for location flexibility (51% vs. 34%).
• Ask their employer for a raise and/or promotion (47% vs. 22%).
• Quit their current job to start their own business (27% vs. 10%).

Working parents are thinking about quitting because of lack of concern from their employer at a higher rate than non-parents. Working parents are much more likely than non-parents to say they are considering leaving their job because their company (54% vs. 29%) or manager (51% vs. 25%) has not cared about their concerns during the pandemic.

For Parents, School Brings Concerns

We found that the majority of working parents have concerns about their children contracting Covid-19 while at school, and while many desire public health mandates be put in place, some have opted to just keep their children home this school year.

More than seven in 10 working parents (73%) are afraid their children will get Covid-19 at school. This concern could be driving the desire for health mandates, as more than three in four working parents (78%) want their children’s school to mandate masking for everyone, and nearly seven in 10 (69%) want their children’s school to mandate vaccination for eligible students, teachers, and school staff. Some parents have opted to avoid the risk altogether, with about one in 10 employees who are working fully remotely (7%) deciding to keep their children home from school this fall, rather than risk them getting Covid-19 at school.

While just over three in five working parents (62%) say their employer has improved their childcare offerings or policies since last year, a similar proportion (61%) are burnt out at work from managing their children’s education needs during Covid-19, suggesting that they could use more support from their employer. Furthermore, almost two in three working parents (65%) think their ability to do their best work has been impacted by worries over sending their children to school in the pandemic.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Catalyst between September 14-16, 2021, among 2,070 US adults ages 18+, among whom 903 are employed full-time/part-time (447 men and 449 women), and 370 are employed parents of children ages 3-17. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Results were weighted for age within gender, region, race and ethnicity, household income, education, and size of household where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.

How to cite this product:  The great work/life divide: How employee desire for flexibility and concern from companies is driving the future of work. Report. (2021). Catalyst.

The post The Great Work/Life Divide in the United States (Report) appeared first on Catalyst.