Page 79 - Summer 2021

Table 1. Survey participants based on career stage, gender, and employment
Career Stage
Gender
Employment
%
Count
%
Count
%
Count
Student
8
65
Male
60
453
Student
8
70
Early career
13
96
Female
37
288
Academia
33.5
277
Midcareer
28
211
Nonbinary
1
5
Industry
34.5
286
Mature career
40
307
Undeclared
2
15
Other field
14
114
Retired
11
83
Unemployed
1
10
Retired
9
76
Total
100
762
Total
100
761
Total
100
833
Although a total of 893 survey responses were received, not all respondents completed questions regarding career stage, gender, and employment.
motivation, Zoom fatigue, and mental health issues due to isolation and pandemic concerns were reported as factors impacting productivity. Productivity was particu- larly affected during the initial months of the pandemic; some found strategies to be productive working from home, but many were stymied by factors beyond their control, such as restricted access to laboratories and human subject testing. The career-stage subgroups that expressed the largest reduction in productivity were stu- dents, where 66% reported lower productivity. In terms of gender differences, 57% of nonstudent women and 44% of nonstudent men reported lower productivity. In terms of employment, 60% of full-time academics reported decreased productivity compared with 42% of those employed full-time in industry.
Communication
Ease of communication at work has also been reduced for many during the pandemic, with 49% of respondents indicating that communications are more or much more difficult than before the pandemic. Again, student mem- bers were the most affected by remote interactions, with 63% reporting greater difficulty communicating. For non- students, the gender difference was 44% of men and 51% of women reporting more communication challenges.
“Previously, I relied on short in-person meetings in office. Now everything must be scheduled. This is much less efficient and impacts brainstorming and concept generation.”
At the same time, some participants feel more connected and have had an easier time with communication since the pandemic.
“It is much easier to contact colleagues who are working from home and not traveling. It is easy to answer e-mails quickly when you’re sitting at your computer all day. Video calling has made it easier to network and collaborate over large distances, so I have talked to more people this year than in the rest of my career combined.”
Work Enjoyment
Approximatelyhalfofthesurveyparticipants(56%)reported a small or large decrease in work enjoyment, with 53% of nonstudent men and 57% of nonstudent women reporting less work enjoyment. A larger percentage of students (67%) reported decreased enjoyment at work; however, the larg- est negative response came from early-career participants (79%). With regard to type of employment, full-time aca- demics reported the largest decrease in work enjoyment: 79% of women and 70% of men.
Career Advancement Opportunities
When asked about how the pandemic has impacted opportunities for career advancement, 47% of respon- dents indicated a decrease, including 45% of nonstudent men and 43% of nonstudent women. Students again are the group with the largest concern over decreased opportunities (67%), followed closely by the early- career participants (62%).
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