The Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work (CRIW) today announced the recipients of the CRIW Ignite! COVID-19 Special Funding. Funded by the RBC Foundation, the funding was issued by CRIW as a one-time supplement to the annual CRIW Ignite! Research Grant to provide financial support to researchers exploring the impact of COVID-19 on workplace inclusion.
Measures such as physical distancing, working from home, not working, etc., are having implications for inclusion at work or may have implications in the future. To help ensure that the needs of vulnerable populations are understood and taken into consideration by employers and policy makers at all levels of government, CRIW is supporting research initiatives that explore the impact of the COVID-19 response on workplace inclusion.
“COVID-19 is making traditionally underrepresented groups within the workplace even more vulnerable and making the impact of social inequalities more visible,” said CRIW Co-Director, Merridee Bujaki. “As researchers we strive to bring the importance of workplace inclusion to the forefront.”
The initiative was well-received by researchers within the Carleton community.
“We are so pleased with the interest we have received for the CRIW Ignite! COVID-19 Special Funding and the breadth of research areas,” said Luciara Nardon, Co-Director at CRIW.
The following four research projects received $5,000 each to study the impact of the COVID-19 response on workplace inclusion:
The Changing Nature of Work due to COVID-19
This study investigates what working at home through the COVID-19 pandemic reveals about the future of working. Specifically, the study explores challenges and benefits associated with remote work during the pandemic and in the future. The study also explores the influence of the COVID-19 crisis on professional identities and career expectations, and how the integration of roles affects work and home life. Lastly, the study examines changes in how people envision and navigate work during the pandemic and moving forward.
The research project will be conducted by:
- Linda Schweitzer, Professor of Management, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
- Sean Lyons, Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Studies, Professor of Leadership & Management, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph
- Katarina Lauch, PhD Candidate, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
The Effect of Regional Culture on Social Distancing and Business Activities During the Pandemic
The goal of this study is to examine the effects of key regional culture features, such as community logic, market logic, and culture tightness, on the responses of people and local businesses to the government orders of social distancing. The research aims to offer new insight into the underlying mechanism behind the response of people and businesses to social distancing policies. Findings of this study could help policymakers table appropriate policies that could be well accepted by local people and local businesses.
The research project will be conducted by:
- Alan Cai, Professor of Supply Chain Management, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
- Zhilin Yang, Professor of Marketing, City University of Hong Kong
The Impact of COVID-19 on Brick-and-Mortar Retail Workers
The main objective of this research is to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on brick-and-mortar retail stores, as workplaces where workers are affected by both their employers’ use of new store regulations and the consumers’ reaction to such regulations. This study also explores whether the age, gender, socio-economic status and/or ethnic background of retail employees is a moderator of the relationship between consumers and workers.
The research project will be conducted by:
- Nada Elnahla, PhD Candidate, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
- Leighann Neilson, Associate Professor of Marketing, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
Weathering the Storm Alone: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on the Psychological and Job-related Well-being of Single Working Mothers
This study examines how social isolation and physical distancing practices during the COVID-19 crisis have changed the nature of work and are uniquely impacting single mothers’ mental health and work-related attitudes. Furthermore, this study also explores how the burdens of the current work context are disproportionately falling on single mothers via the need to access financial aid, food banks, and/or other forms of social assistance. Special attention will be given to identifying possible supports to offer single mothers during such a precarious situation, and in so doing, reduce the vulnerability of this population.
The research project will be conducted by:
- Angela Dionisi, Assistant Professor of Management, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
- Kathryne Dupré, Associate Professor of Organizational Psychology, the Department of Psychology, Carleton University
- Chelsie Smith, PhD Candidate, Sprott School of Business, Carleton University
CRIW Ignite! COVID-19 Special Funding is one of the vehicles through which CRIW aims to advance knowledge and drive change towards more inclusive workplaces that welcome and support greater participation of all peoples. For more information, visit CRIW’s web pages on Research Support and Resources and Grants.
CRIW’s research activities and knowledge-sharing efforts are possible, in part, through generous financial support from the RBC Foundation. This funding is providing opportunities for conducting and sharing innovative research on inclusion at work. CRIW is grateful for the RBC Foundation’s support in making its work possible.