DON’T GO BACK TO OUR BROKEN WAYS

Maybe it’s time to break the resolutions and practices from our pre-pandemic lives. So many of us break our usual New Year’s resolutions come February or March. And it would be a shame to dismiss all that we have learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout the last two years — recognizing the loss, struggle and disproportionate impact on different communities — there have been many lessons learned that have cracked open the constructs and narratives around work, play, identity and the systems that support our community.

We saw workplaces that previously did not have flexible, remote work options for their teams for a variety of reasons (including that it simply “wouldn’t work”) quickly pivot to having employees work from home. We saw the introduction of schedules that supported employees’ ability to work while taking care of their children or aging parents.

We saw versions of basic universal income via the stimulus and child tax credit payments. We saw social and public policy changes happen more quickly and the most transformative budget in California’s history, including increased spending on guaranteed income pilots and services for older adults.

We also saw a record number of women at all levels of employment leave the workforce — a circumstance exacerbated by the lack of affordable, accessible childcare combined with a woman’s traditional role as the family’s primary caregiver.

In reflecting on all of this over the last two years, I also considered my experience as a leader in the nonprofit sector, as a working parent and as someone whose identity has been deeply defined by my work. I have reflected on how I have participated in creating and have been impacted by the systems and narratives that have existed long before the pandemic — and how we must do better.

We cannot continue or go back to what wasn’t working, especially when we know that a better way is possible. We must create workplaces and a community that are inclusive and work for everyone. While I had the privilege of working from home, where I greatly benefited from spending more time with my partner and 10-year-old, and then saw the continuation of a more flexible schedule once things started to get under control, many workers — including those often deemed “essential” throughout the pandemic — did not and likely never will unless major changes are made after this pandemic ends.

This year, my focus, my intention, is to better integrate more family time and play into my life while serving as a leader dedicated to creating more inclusive workplaces and communities for all. Together let’s avoid the same broken resolutions again and again, and resolve to create a stronger, healthier and inclusive community that we all deserve.