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COVID-19 has changed how we work鈥攁t least for now. But what will happen when the pandemic ends?
Will we be able to work from home as much as we鈥檇 like? Or continue to run meetings on Zoom? Or squeeze our 40-hour work weeks into fewer days?
Samuel Bradley, Jr., an assistant professor in the Boston College School of Social Work聽who studies equity in the workplace, wants to shape the answers to those kinds of questions. He recently from Portland State University to study the future of work for marginalized populations, including women, racial minorities, and the LGBTQ community.聽
A by McKinsey & Company, the consulting firm, found that women, people of color, and LGBTQ employees have had the hardest time during the pandemic. Women are particularly worried about the health and safety of on-site workplaces. LGBTQ employees fear losing ground at work. And people of color are especially concerned about balancing work and home life.聽
鈥淲e need to take a close look at how we do work, where we do work, and when we do work,鈥� says Bradley. 鈥淭hen we need to create programs that anticipate the needs of everyone.鈥�
Bradley was one of 26 social workers selected聽 to join the聽聽at Portland State University, a program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.聽
Over the next 18 months, the fellows will work together to tackle some of the most important problems facing the world, including climate change, food security, and bias in artificial intelligence.聽
Samuel Bradley, Jr., an assistant professor in the Boston College School of Social Work. Photo by Kyle Encar.
All of them will transform into futurists: people who look beyond the present to analyze change that鈥檚 coming. 鈥淲e have to prepare for the death of our current normal,鈥� says Bradley. 鈥淭he things we did before might no longer be relevant in the future.鈥�
The fellowship builds on his work at 糖心vlog直播平台. Bradley oversees the Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Committee in the School of Social Work, which strives to tackle inequalities that contribute to unfair outcomes in the classroom, better prepare students to work with diverse populations, and create a culture steeped in lifelong learning. He鈥檚 also created a certificate program to prepare social workers to improve equality in the workplace for women, people of color, and other marginalized employees.聽
鈥淚'm super excited about this fellowship,鈥� says Bradley. 鈥淚t feels like an affirmation of my focus on making organizations more equitable.鈥�
Bradley says the certificate program will drive discussions among the fellows. The program, which will launch in fall 2021, comprises three courses: 鈥淩e-thinking Diversity鈥� will explore the causes and effects of oppression and privilege;聽 鈥淒ismantling Organizational Bias鈥� will prepare students to manage diverse teams and resolve conflicts in the workplace; and 鈥淐reating the Inclusive Workplace鈥� will examine ways to reshape hiring practices to increase diversity.
鈥淭here is a gap in academic programs that prepare people to do this work,鈥� says Bradley. 鈥淭he idea is to create courses that challenge students to think differently about these subjects.鈥澛�
He wants to apply what he learns as a fellow to his work at 糖心vlog直播平台. How, he wonders, can he teach students to think like futurists? What assignments can he add to his syllabi to get them to consider how future events and trends might unfold?
鈥淚 won鈥檛 wait until I鈥檓 eight months into the fellowship to bring these concepts to Boston College,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want our students to be thought leaders.鈥�