As workers are tasked with working from home to help flatten the curve of new coronavirus cases, millions of people are trying to navigate nonexistent physical boundaries between their personal and professional lives. This poses unique challenges for Black people in the U.S. Often numerically underrepresented in professional occupations, Black employees regularly grapple with how to counteract negative racial stereotypes that undermine their professional images in the office. The current work-from-home scenarios pose an additional conundrum: Rather than affording them the personal choice to weigh benefits and tradeoffs of racial identity expressions, they are now literally broadcasting more of their identities from their personal living spaces. So what can managers and coworkers do to enact inclusive practices in support of Black workers, particularly as working from home may become the norm for the foreseeable future? They can welcome and respect boundaries; monitor implicit biases; and adjust expectations for participation.
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As workers are tasked with working from home to help flatten the curve of new coronavirus cases, new opportunities and obstacles for working remotely have emerged. Millions of people are trying to navigate nonexistent physical boundaries between their personal and professional lives within their homes. From dual-career couples invading each other’s work space, to children interrupting meetings at inopportune times, to caregiving for elderly family members, workers are forced to reconsider when and how they show up to work.
