Impact of the Virtual Workplace
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities have dramatically shifted how work is done. As we have moved to the online work environment, how has the manifestation of subtle bias shifted in this virtual space?
The NSF funded ADVANCE team at 51视频 invites all full-time faculty - all genders, races, ethnicities, and disciplines - to participate in an NSF funded study looking at faculty experiences of Microaggressions in the Virtual Workplace.
- Who: All full-time faculty at U.S. institutions are eligible - all genders, races/ethnicities, disciplines.
- Time: 10-15 minutes for baseline questionnaire; 2-4 minutes daily survey (15 consecutive days) at an afternoon/evening time that works for you!
- What: Report personal and/or witnessed microaggressions when you work remotely.
- Incentive: you will receive an Amazon gift card as a token of our appreciation for your time and effort. The amount is based on your level of participation, up to $50.
If you would like to participate in this study, please go to the study webpage to complete the consent form.聽
What's this study about?
This national study is conducted by the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and is funded by National Science Foundation ADVANCE-IT Program. The purpose of this research study is to chronicle the experiences of faculty (ALL genders) with microaggressions, both personally experienced and/or witnessed, and their relationship to employees鈥� job satisfaction and well-being. Collecting daily data of participants鈥� workplace experiences will provide important insights into how often microaggressions occur, how they are dealt with, and what consequences they have.
What are microaggressions anyway?
Microaggressions are defined as 鈥渆veryday, common verbal, non-verbal, and/or environmental snubs/insults鈥� and whose theorized impact is a function of their 鈥渃umulative impact鈥� (Sue, 2007). To get a better understanding, please watch the following video: .
Sounds interesting, what will I have to do if I sign up?
You will be asked to enter an email address so that we can send you everything electronically. You will be asked to complete a baseline questionnaire (10-15 mins), consisting of questions that measure factors such as: the degree of subtle gender bias at your institution, your job satisfaction and organizational commitment, your general well being, etc. The day following baseline, you will receive a daily email with a link to complete a 2-4 minute questionnaire for 14 consecutive days (including weekends). The importance of collecting data over the course of 14 consecutive days is to ensure we capture a large enough snap shot of the natural cycle of faculty life, likely to include faculty meetings, committee meetings, lab meetings, times you鈥檙e away from campus, etc.
Ok, but what about confidentiality? This is sensitive stuff!
The information you provide will remain absolutely confidential. Any identifying information provided would be de-identified during data processing. While we require you to provide an institutional email address in order to verify your eligibility on the first page of the baseline, you will have the option of providing an alternative email address to receive your daily reminders and other study materials. If you provide an alternative email, your institutional email address will be deleted within 24 hours.
What do I get out of it?
In addition to forwarding science (!), as a token of our appreciation for the time and effort, the first 300 participants will receive an Amazon gift card. The amount will be based on the level of participation, up to $50.
How does this forward science?
To date, most data is either qualitative in nature and/or asks individuals to retrospectively report their experiences at a single time point. Given that microaggressions are by definition, 鈥渆veryday, common verbal, non-verbal, and/or environmental snubs/insults鈥� and whose theorized impact is a function of their 鈥渃umulative impact鈥�, it is critical to model them as such.
If you would like to participate in this study, please go to the study webpage to complete the consent form.