Pandemic Impact Statements: Addressing Workplace Inequities to Facilitate an Equitable Recovery (PHASE 2)

András Tilcsik, Rotman School of Management; Angelina Grigoryeva, University of Toronto Scarborough

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and intensified workplace inequalities, disproportionately affecting women and racialized workers. Organizations widely adopted pandemic impact statements to contextualize employees’ work performance and promote fairer evaluations, but the effectiveness of these statements in addressing inequities remains uncertain. Pandemic impact statements may reinforce stereotypes by highlighting caregiving roles, potentially harming women and racialized workers. Additionally, marginalized employees may be less likely to use these statements, potentially worsening existing inequities.

Our research examines the effect of pandemic impact statements on workplace inequities. We seek to understand if these statements contribute to an equitable pandemic recovery or exacerbate disparities and how decision-makers can implement more equitable employee performance evaluations during future pandemics.

In Phase 1, supported by the Institute for Pandemics, we launched three studies and met or exceeded all our milestones. In Phase 2, we will continue to build on this work by (a) completing the analysis for each study, (b) drafting working papers based on the findings, and (c) applying for an SSHRC Connection Grant for knowledge mobilization. Our analyses will help determine whether pandemic impact statements affect demographic groups differently (e.g., men versus women), how they influence workplace inequalities, and how organizational guidelines given to evaluators can make the use of pandemic impact statements more consistent and equitable.

Ultimately, this research will provide insights into workplace interventions for equitable pandemic recovery. The findings will benefit researchers, managers, and university administrators while also enhancing the research and collaboration skills of our trainees at all levels.