Blog

2024 LGBTQ+ Employees Progress Report


June 2024

In celebration of Pride Month, we share insights from recent data we have been tracking on LGBTQ+ employee sentiment. Read below for the latest findings on feelings of safety, the workplace experience, evolving expectations, and employer support. Continue reading

 

 

 

 

2024 Trends

January 2024

Senior researchers Tina Lawler McHugh and Keila Viñas forecast the workplace trends to watch for in 2024, including what's next for in-person collaboration and distributed teams, middle manager training and support, reframing and fine-tuning DEIB efforts, increasing cultural competency, access and utilization in behavioral health, and increased investment in caregivers and families of all types. Continue reading.

 

 

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A ‘Return to Visibility’, Opportunity to Gain Perspective


September 2023

This fall we are seeing a renewed push to return employees to the office, which is forcing organizations to examine and articulate how the workplace can work for everyone. But ‘work’ means a place where people can feel productive, engaged and recognized for their contributions; and ‘everyone’ means accounting for the many, many identities, skills and experiences that employees bring to the table. Continue reading

 

 

 

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Fall in Boston - A Time for Renewal & Belonging

September 2023

Ever since I was a young girl, I went into fall and the start of the new school year with great anticipation. Armed with new books, a wardrobe refresh, and an eager disposition, I relished the opportunity to start the year off on the right foot. Always accompanying this positive attitude was the anxiety around wondering if I would fit in; would I belong? In those early years, I never paused to consider what I personally could do to help others feel a sense of belonging. But, now, creating a culture of inclusion and belonging is something I think about every day. Continue reading. 

 

 

 

 

Workplaces that Work for Everyone?


July 2023

Looking ahead to the remainder of 2023, employers are navigating tricky legal and cultural debates associated with their DEI efforts and expecting (and increasingly enforcing) more in-office time for employees. But a diverse and distributed workforce makes it extremely challenging to create ”workplaces that work for everyone.” Continue reading.

 

 

 

Ensuring a Safe Workplace for LGTBQ+ Employees during Challenging Times

June 2023

As we close out Pride Month, we recognize the diverse identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella and the many obstacles these groups have overcome over the years to secure important civil rights. We join in celebration, but also acknowledge the work that remains ahead to ensure the safety, equitable treatment, and inclusion of our LGBTQ+ colleagues. Continue reading

 

 

 

 

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Mental Health Awareness Month: A Call to Action for Employers


May 2023

In October 2022, the US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being, underscoring both “the responsibility and unique opportunity for leaders to create workplace environments that support the health and well-being of workers.” The framework conceives of workplaces as “engines of well-being” grounded in five essential practices: protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work, and opportunity for growthContinue reading.

 

 

Spring 2023 Progress Report: Women's Career Advancement

March 2023

As Women's History Month comes to a close, we continue to celebrate the contributions and achievements of women in the workplace, and also reflect on what their work experience has been like over the past year. 
 Some bright spots are apparent - women's overall employment is rebounding after steep pandemic losses and employers are increasingly investing in supporting their needs across life stages. Yet disparities persist and much work remains to be done when it comes to wages, advancement and well-being, particularly for mothers, women leaders, and women of color. Continue reading.

 


 

2023 Trends: One Size Does Not Fit All

February 2023

In 2023, one size does not fit all when it comes to developing talent, managing new ways of working, and supporting employee well-being. Flexible work is here to stay - and it’s a key strategy for leaders and managers trying to rebuild company cultures that can attract and retain in-demand talent. Employee expectations remain high for a person-centric workplace that prioritizes well-being and a commitment to DEI initiatives. Economic uncertainty, demands for transparency, and a boom in data analytics together will challenge and enable employers to craft, measure, and course-correct strategies that promote both a superior employee experience and high-performance outcomes. Continue reading.

 


 

2022 Year in Review

December 2022

It’s time to recap a busy year, where employers have been challenged like never before to embrace and redefine new ways of working, meet the needs of a more diverse and far flung workforce, and provide leadership and support amid increasingly uncertain social and economic conditions. A tall order for our dedicated Roundtable members to be sure — and the Center has tried to meet these challenges with a record number of benchmarking, networking and learning opportunities.We were thrilled to see so many of you just a few weeks ago at our Fall Roundtable meeting in Boston — our first in-person event in three years! What a robust exchange with experts on everything from flexible work to navigating identities at work and what’s next in mental health in the workplace. Continue reading.

 


 

Promoting Employee Wellbeing: Change Demands, Remove Barriers

September 2022

September is always a busy month and this year it was particularly busy for the Center and our members. For many organizations, this September has meant a renewed push to return to the office and codify new ways of working - with an eye toward (re)building company culture and social connections and enabling a healthy work-life balance. Continue reading.

 


 

Employers: Jacks of All Trades?

July 2022

As we revisit our 2022 Trends, we continue to see employees redefine their relationship to work and demand greater work-life balance from their employers. Despite inflation reaching a 40-year high in June, job growth continues to be strong and many employers are scaling back return to office plans and offering flexible work and perks to attract and retain employees. 

Employers are also expected more than ever to respond to external events and play a role in issues like climate change, economic inequality, and social injustice. According to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, business is by far the most trusted institution and nearly 60% of employees expect their CEOs to take a stand on societal issues. Continue reading.

 


 

Father's Day 2022: Why dads still don't achieve equality on caregiving

June 2022

This Father’s Day marks the 12th year that the Boston College Center for Work & Family has been working to better understand the experiences of today’s working fathers. Over this time, we have published numerous reports, book chapters and journal articles aimed at helping the public and employers better understand the experience of today’s dads, especially with regard to work and family. Our research has focused mainly on the experiences of “white collar” fathers and we have studied a broad range of issues including the transition to fatherhood, at-home dads, millennial fathers, generational differences in fathering, and men’s attitudes about and utilization of parental leave. Continue reading.

 


 

A Look Ahead: Workforce Challenges and Trends

February 2022 

Over the past two tumultuous years, our Center has dramatically altered our value delivery system in order to meet the needs of our corporate partners, many of the country’s most respected employers, during a time of unparalleled change. In March of 2020, we switched to virtual offerings in order to meet member needs, and were able to do so while continuing a very high level of member satisfaction and engagement.

In spite of the lack of face-to-face contact, we maintained a clear focus and set of offerings by picking objectives that mirrored the concerns of our organizational members. We focused on three issues that were the critical and urgent concerns of those employers. First, was the challenge of addressing race in the workplace which came to the forefront following the killing of George Floyd. Second was striving to achieve gender equality which had always been a mainstream concern for the work-family field. But COVID’s impact on working women / caregivers made this more challenging than ever as women took on the lionshare of not only caregiving but also homeschooling through most of 2020 and 2021. Continue reading.