Return To Office Push Hurts Black Women The Most, New Wellbeing Study Finds

As companies scale back flexible work environments and encourage a return to the office, Black workers are facing a significant decline in workplace wellbeing.

According to new research from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, the post-pandemic shift is hitting Black employees especially hard, worsening existing disparities in the workplace.

Return to office hits Black workers hardest

Carey surveyed more than 1.5 million individuals at over 2,500 organizations in the US in partnership with Great Place To Work.

They found that workplace wellbeing peaked in 2020 when many companies embraced more supportive and flexible working policies, but has steadily decreased since.

In the IT and tech sector, changes in industry dynamics which has seen hiring surges followed by mass layoffs, has exacerbated the downward trend in employee wellbeing.

Young, Black, and female employees are seeing the steepest declines in workplace wellbeing, with Black women faring the worst in 2023.

Read: Why Black Workers Don’t Want To Go Back To The Office

“The COVID pandemic heightened employers’ awareness of the importance of wellbeing, and many of the best organizations worked to create a positive work climate,” said Michelle Barton, a Carey Business School associate professor and co-author of the study.

“The challenge now, will be to integrate those practices into everyday work life, rather than simply as a crisis response.”

Building trust and supporting workplace wellbeing

Interestingly, the report notes that executives and managers reported higher levels of wellbeing, which risks leaving many of them “out of touch with their employees.”

“The managers that are able to continue to relate and earn trust with their workforce, must do so by recognizing that their own experiences are not representative of those of their employees” the report asserts.

The report calls for companies to reintroduce the flexible work policies and mental health support that improved wellbeing during the pandemic.

Noting that poor employee mental health can lead to higher turnover, lower engagement, the report states: “Proactively addressing employee wellbeing makes good business sense.”