THE DIVERSITY SPECIALIST
As the Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity and Inclusion at U of T and a professor of organizational behaviour and human resource management, Sonia Kang tracks how employers and managers treat employees—and what those employees expect from their jobs. She explains how the pandemic led to alternative work models that benefit some people and exclude others but have the power to change just about everyone’s lives for the better.
Why are we seeing a big shift in work culture right now? People were really burnt out heading into the pandemic, and while they might have been able to manage that baseline level of stress before, whatever wasn’t working became painfully obvious. But part of it is generational. My students, who range in age from 18 to 30, have very different ideas than their parents regarding what they want from the workplace, including a different way of measuring productivity. As a society, we’ve long had this idea that a productive workday is one where you put in a set number of hours. My students are wondering, If I finish what’s being asked of me, why do I need to fill the remaining time with extra stuff?
It’s a fair question. Baby boomers could rely on having a job for decades, maybe moving up in the company. Today’s employees can’t depend on that. Companies come and go, and the economy is volatile. So there’s been a flip in the work-life balance. Previously, people thought, How am I going to fit my life into work? Now it’s, I have an idea of what I want my life to look like. What job will allow me that?
Is being able to work remotely a common wish these days? For sure. It comes with a lot of advantages: people who work from home can often fit in child care more easily, for instance. But not everyone has the privilege of working remotely. Organizations should focus on creating systems where everyone can integrate their child-care needs into their work. It shouldn’t have to be done secretly while you’re at home supposedly working, because then it becomes available only to certain people— and it takes the pressure off organizations to make things better for the entire workforce.
Europeans are known for being less obsessed with work. Are we moving toward that?
We could be, but only if that better work-life balance becomes available to everyone. In Where to Invade Next, filmmaker Michael Moore goes to Italy to see how the country’s labour policies allow for better parental leave and for everyone to take long lunch breaks and eat beautiful meals with their families. Because it’s a universal policy, everyone is able to access it.