Inequality and DEI during COVID-19: 5 Articles to Read
In this week’s installment of Vantage Points’ of View, we’re sharing five impactful articles on inequality and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training during COVID-19. We’ve seen that COVID-19 has perpetuated already existing inequalities within society by disproportionately impacting women and people of color as well as increasing global poverty at an unprecedented rate. Problems around diversity, inclusion, and equity are exacerbated by COVID-19, and decisive action by government, private corporations, and community members is necessary to mitigate these negative outcomes.
Now here’s five articles we’ve been reading:
This article by The Brookings Institution cites research from the IMF that estimates extreme poverty in the world will rise by 50 million people this year compared to the pre-COVID-19 estimate for 2020. If we accept this scenario proposed by the IMF, 2020 will be the first time this century that the number of global poor will rise, “a fact which can be seen in real-time as the World Poverty Clock ticks ‘backward.’”
2. Forbes: COVID-19’s Impact of Women of Color
Naomi Cahn, a senior editor at Forbes, writes that COVID-19 has a predominantly non-white face. Even before the pandemic, women of color often “stood at the intersection of multiple barriers” making up only 1% of Fortune 500 CEOs. In fact, 70% of workers in jobs paying less than $10/hour are predominantly Black and Latina women. In the face of COVID-19, these statistics matter. The people most likely to be laid-off as a result of the pandemic, are “women and minorities.” Further, the women of color who continue to work are more likely to be deemed essential and at a higher risk of exposure to the illness. Look to the next article for tips on supporting your POC employees.
3. How U.S. Companies Can Support Employees of Color Through the Pandemic
As we’ve seen the direct impact of COVID-19 on “Black and brown communities is staggering.” The team at Harvard Business Review provides a list of action items for companies to take to support employees of color through the pandemic. Three points to note are: Creating room for employees to care for themselves and their families; Challenging biased, racist, and xenophobic behaviors in the moment — especially in team settings; and providing tailored support for employees who are most negatively impacted by COVID-19.
4. Adapt Your D&I Efforts to the Reality of the Crisis
Another article by Lily Zheng for Harvard Business Review, explains that as a result of COVID-19 many companies have seen that “internal diversity initiatives have stalled” or have been postponed indefinitely as workplaces moved online. In fact, she notes common sentiment among top executives is that only “essential” activities can continue, citing one VP who claims “Diversity work is nice, but not essential.” Zheng argues the opposite, that in the face of COVID-19, any response to the pandemic must include DEI training.
5. Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion: What The Coronavirus Teaches And How We Must Respond
In this article, Tracy Bowers of Forbes reflects on how the pandemic has “shone a light on the more subtle forms of diversity, such as whether somebody is a parent or a caregiver.” With video conferencing at the center of remote work, employers are given a rare view into the personal lives of employees: children in the background, a need to flex work hours to care for aging parents, or poor internet connections. Many employers are taking an empathetic approach and providing benefits and PTO, but the response to COVID-19 must go further to restructure the remote workforce in a more inclusive manner.
For enterprise companies, action must begin by building diverse and inclusive teams in the workplace. With millions working from home across the United States and millions more furloughed and unemployed, corporations must lead the charge in defining what the future of remote work will look like. Vantage Point is committed to supporting companies counteract the inequalities perpetuated by COVID-19 by providing DEI training through virtual reality. Vantage Point was founded on the belief that while technology can cause apathy, immersive technology can drive empathy and fundamentally make the world more human. We plan to continue sharing our insights and methods for building inclusive teams via our Vantage Points’ of View blog.
About Vantage Point: Vantage Point is an immersive training and HCM platform that leverages Virtual Reality (VR) to better engage employees in its cutting-edge Sexual Harassment and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training programs.
