Undoing disparities in faculty workloads: A randomized trial experiment

Abstract

We conducted a randomized control study to improve equity in how work is taken up, assigned and rewarded in academic departments. We used a four-part intervention targeting routine work practices, department conditions, and the readiness of faculty to intervene to shape more equitable outcomes over an 18-month period. Our goal was to (a) increase the number of routine work practices that department faculty could enact to ensure equity, (b) enhance conditions within the department known to positively enhance equity, and (c) improve the action readiness of department faculty to ensure equity in division of labor. Post intervention faculty in participating departments were more likely than before the intervention to report work practices and conditions that support equity and action readiness in their department, and that teaching and service work in their department is fair. Participating departments were significantly more likely than control departments to report practices and conditions that support equity and greater action readiness to address issues of workload equity in their department. Finally, participating department faculty were more likely than control department faculty to report increased self-advocacy and were more likely than control department faculty to report that the distribution of teaching and service work in their department is fair.

Gendered and Racialized Perceptions of Faculty Workloads

“…While the analysis in this article focuses on data collected before any interventions, in our larger study, we find that most department leaders and faculty are enthusiastic about bringing greater transparency to workload. Faculty rate workload equity and fairness much more positively in the post-survey for our “treatment” group of departments than the control departments that had also applied to take part in the study (O’Meara et al 2018, 2019).…”

The Pandemic Penalty: The gendered effects of COVID-19 on scientific productivity

“…Even if course releases are not a possibility, institutions can implement structured interventions to ensure equity in service and teaching within departments. Ensuring that clear criteria are regularly applied even at the departmental level throughout these uncertain times will facilitate greater equity for women and underrepresented minorities (O'Meara, Jaeger, Misra, Lennartz, & Kuvaeva, 2018).…”

Service, Self-Care, and Sacrifice: A Qualitative Exploration of the Pandemic University as a Greedy Institution

“…Research identifies four factors that are related to perceptions of and satisfaction with workload that institutions should adopt: transparency that details the work activities of those in the department; objective evaluation criteria to prevent bias in evaluations; rotation of timeintensive, less-promotable but necessary work; and reward systems that recognize the context of individuals' workloads and a transparent process to modify workloads (O'Meara et al, 2018(O'Meara et al, , 2019. We hope that the light shed on these problems in special issues like this one will stimulate the necessary changes to make institutions like ours less greedy and more invested in mutual care.…”