As Offices Reopen, Parents of Color are Twice as Likely to Consider Quitting to Support Families as White Parents

Parents, caregivers much more likely to quit if company doesn’t offer flexible arrangements, according to survey by Syndio

Seattle, WA — June 25, 2020 — As offices reopen, more than one in ten parents or caregivers with office jobs are considering quitting to better manage family responsibilities, and another 11 percent say their spouse is considering quitting, according to a survey of more than 1,200 full-time workers conducted by pay equity software company Syndio.

People of color were much more likely to say they are considering quitting than white parents, with a full 40 percent of Black/African American parents and caregivers who worked in an office pre-Covid saying either they or their spouse is considering quitting.

Are you or your partner/spouse considering quitting your job in order to better manage family responsibilities during this pandemic? Asked of those who worked in an office pre-Covid, and worked/are working from home due to the pandemic.

	Yes, I am considering quitting	Yes, my spouse is considering quitting	No
Asian/Pacific Islander	17.5%	17.5%	65.0%
Black/African American	20.0%	20.0%	60.0%
Hispanic	26.5%	16.3%	57.1%
White/Caucasian	8.9%	5.5%	85.6%

Of all parents/caregivers who consider quitting, nearly half (48.2 percent) have employers who are or will require them to return to work full-time.

“Returning to work in the middle of a pandemic is fraught with risk,” said Maria Colacurcio, CEO of Syndio. “Not just the health risk, but the risk of companies overlooking the impact on portions of their population and understanding that a one-size-fits-all approach will leave many behind. We know Covid-19 has hit the Black and Latinx communities particularly hard, something that may factor into the considerations about quitting work at this time. Companies that give employees ultimatums and force them to come back full-time while the pandemic still looms are risking the resignation of important and substantial populations in their workforce.”

In addition to asking whether respondents were considering quitting, the survey also asked respondents if they would be going back to work full-time, part-time or would continue to work from home. While there were no significant differences by race, ethnicity or gender regarding their work schedules, concerns about health were the most commonly cited reasons by those not going back to work full-time.

If you are not returning to work when your office opens, or not returning full-time, why? (Asked of people who say they are not going back full-time. Respondents were parents/caregivers and non-parents/caregivers. Respondents could choose more than one reason.)

I am worried about exposure to Covid-19 in the office.	I have permanently shifted to work from home part- or full-time.	I am worried about exposure to Covid-19 while commuting on mass transit.	I am uncertain whether school will reopen/childcare will be available this fall.	I am worried about exposure to Covid-19 if my child enters childcare.	I don’t have consistent access to child or dependent care.
36.9%	21.2%	14.8%	21.2%	8.5%	7.6%

The survey was fielded online June 12-13 of U.S. adults who are full-time workers. There were 1,249 respondents and the margin of error is +/- 2.83%.

About Syndio

Syndio is leading the way in fair pay as the world's best HR analytics platform to offer global organizations a way to analyze pay issues based on race and gender; resolve those issues; and monitor compliance over time. Syndio offers a suite of innovative tools and services to help companies pay fairly, including a staffing feature that calculates a safe range for new hires to maintain overall equity. Syndio is a distributed company with headquarters in Seattle.

Media Relations Contact:

Katie Curnutte
617.640.9765
katie@kingstonmarketing.group