NIH WORKFORCE COVID-19 IMPACT SURVEY
diversity.nih.govNIH WORKFORCECOVID-19IMPACT SURVEYExecutive Summary of the Impactof the COVID-19 Pandemicon the NIH WorkforceNOVEMBER 2020Prepared for the NIH Chief Officerfor Scientific Workforce DiversityPrepared by ICF Next
NIH WORKFORCE COVID-19IMPACT SURVEYBACKGROUND .1Methodology .1Survey Objectives.1RESULTS .2Respondent Characteristics.2Caretaking and Household Risk.3NIH Cares about Caretaking .3Experience During Maximum Telework .4Job Productivity and Satisfaction .6Mental Health .7Support from NIH .8Return to Physical Workplaces .9Perceived Implications for Career Trajectory .10CLOSING .11Fostering Productivity .11NIH Communications and Support .11Fostering Connection .12Return to Work .12REFERENCES .13APPENDIX A. Respondent Demographics .14APPENDIX B. Extramural and Intramural Program Results .15Experience During Maximum Telework .15Job Productivity and Satisfaction .15Perceived Implications for Career Trajectory .16iNIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey
BACKGROUNDThe global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which causes coronavirus disease(COVID-19), has substantially altered daily life for individuals in the United States and around the world. As withmany industries worldwide, both the pandemic and the measures to mitigate its impact have greatly affected thescientific workforce. At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), members of the workforce have experienced atransition to virtual workspaces, unanticipated caretaking responsibilities, social distancing restrictions onbiomedical labs, and other potential disruptions.With these unprecedented changes comes a stark reminder that stressful situations often disproportionately affectgroups underrepresented in the U.S. scientific workforce. Scientists have observed heightened COVID-19 infectionand mortality rates among certain racial or ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, andAmerican Indians/Alaska Natives (CDC, 2020; Egbert, 2020; Garg et al., 2020). The literature demonstrates thatthese health disparities may have far-reaching consequences beyond health and can impact other aspects of workand family life. Evidence also suggests that the pandemic may have negative effects on the productivity andprofessional trajectories of women, due to unanticipated and intensive child and elder care responsibilities(Flaherty, 2020), and of individuals with disabilities, due to intermittent lack of access to necessary medical care orsupports (Pulrang, 2020).To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the NIH workforce across Institutes, Centers, and Offices(ICOs) and to identify potential implications on diverse groups in the scientific workforce, the NIH ScientificWorkforce Diversity (SWD) Office fielded the NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey in July 2020.MethodologySWD contracted the consulting firm Deloitte to develop, field, andanalyze the survey. The NIH Survey Development Group and ateam from Deloitte’s Survey Research and Analytics Centerdeveloped the survey measures.DATA COLLECTION PERIOD: The survey was administeredfrom July 14 to July 28, 2020.POPULATION: Invitations were sent to NIH federal staff,students and trainees, postdoctoral researchers,volunteers, and contractors (if given permission by their individualentities to participate).MEDIUM: The 15- to 20-minute online survey wasadministered via a unique email link. Individuals respondedto the survey using a smartphone, tablet, or computer.DATA PROTECTION: Deloitte removed personallyidentifying information after data collection was completed.NIH received aggregated and de-identified analyses from Deloittefollowing the survey to prevent possible re-identificationof respondents. Respondents could skip any question on thesurvey.Survey Objectives1. Understand the impact of COVID-19on the NIH workforce (Note: Objective1 is the focus of this ExecutiveSummary)2. Assess the impact of COVID-19 onpopulations underrepresented in thescientific workforce3. Identify groups that may be newlyvulnerable due to factors related toCOVID-194. Enable NIH to implement interventionsto mitigate the impactof COVID-19 on its workforceRESPONSE RATE: The Deloitte survey team sent 33,013 email invitations to eligible members of the NIHworkforce. Of those, 51.2 percent completed the survey (n 16,892).1NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey
RESULTSThis section features key findings from the NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey. Unless stated otherwise,percentages refer to all individuals responding to a question, excluding those who skipped the question entirely.Question-level sample size (n) is depicted for each figure, denoting the number of respondents who answeredthe question.Respondent CharacteristicsDemographic characteristics for survey respondents are provided in appendix A. With regard to workcharacteristics, 62.4 percent of survey respondents were NIH employees, 22.8 percent were contractors, and13.4 percent were trainees (see figure 1). Half of respondents (54.3%) identified their program area as intramural(see figure 2), and 48.0 percent were located on the main NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland (see figure 3).Figure 1. Employment Mechanism at NIH (n 16,868)Figure 2. NIH Program Area(n 16,435)Percentage of Respondents70%60%Office of theDirector .8%10%13.4%0%NIHContractor Trainee*employee0.7%0.6%0.2%Non-NIH Volunteer GuestFederalresearcheremployeeIntramural,54.3%* Trainees include post-baccalaureate students, special volunteers, predoctoralstudents, postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, and clinical fellows.Figure 3. Location of Primary NIH Workplace (n 16,249)Percentage of .1%Main NIHElsewhere in Frederick, MDResearch Baltimore, MDcampus inMontgomeryTriangle, NCBethesda, MD County, MD2NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey2.9%0.9%I primarilyRockyteleworked Mountain Labs,prior to theMTpandemic0.6%Other
Respondents answered questions regarding the type of work they perform at NIH. They could select more thanone option, so response percentages may exceed 100 (see figure 4). Of those who responded, most indicatedthey perform research (36.9%), followed by administrative work (32.2%).Percentage of RespondentsFigure 4. Type of Work Performed at NIH (n ations**Clinical care or Director/Leader Scientific core or Infrastructuresupportanimal programsupportresearch**** Research included laboratory, clinical, epidemiologic, computational, or other.** Operations included finance, personnel, acquisitions, or safety.*** Scientific core or animal program research support included flow cytometry, sequencing, proteomics, animal care, or other.Caretaking and Household RiskRegarding caretaking, 43.9 percent (n 7,385) of respondentsindicated having caretaking responsibilities for individuals who live intheir household or family members who do not live with them. One infive respondents with caretaking responsibilities indicated theircaretaking responsibilities have made their work responsibilitiessubstantially more difficult to complete. Among respondents withcaretaking responsibilities, 40.6 percent provide care for childrenages 5 to 12, 29.7 percent provide care for older adults,1 and6.0 percent provide care for disabled individuals (respondents couldselect more than one option).NIH Cares about CaretakingCaretaking responsibilities were acrucial component of the NIH COVID19 Impact Survey. Here’s why: With schools, childcare, anddaycare centers temporarilyclosed or at limited capacity,individuals had to assumeunexpected, full-time childcare inaddition to work. Older adults may be at higher riskfor serious COVID-19 infection andmay therefore require moreintensive caretaking (e.g., buyinggroceries) or care during illness. Individuals who assumed intensivecaretaking responsibilities due toCOVID-19 could experiencereduced work productivity andnegative career implications.Regarding risk for COVID-19, 42.5 percent (n 7,143) indicated thatsomeone in their household, including themselves, is considered atincreased risk for severe illness due to COVID-19 (see figure 5).Figure 5. Anyone in Household at Risk forSevere COVID-19 Illness (n 16,807)Yes,42.5%No,50.3%Prefer not toanswer, 1.8%13Don’t know, 5.4%The survey instrument assessed whether respondents provided care for “elderly individuals.”NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey
Intramural and Extramural Programs: Caretaking46.6 percent of extramural respondents and 40.7 percent of intramural respondents reported that they havecaretaking responsibilities (appendix B). 15.7 percent of extramural respondents and 23.3 percent ofintramural respondents reported that their caretaking responsibilities have made their work responsibilitiessubstantially more difficult to complete.Experience During Maximum TeleworkTo protect members of its workforce and comply with guidance from the Office of Personnel Management, NIHlimited onsite work, work-related travel, and in-person meeting attendance beginning on March 16, 2020—a periodreferred to as maximum telework. The NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey assessed respondents’experiences from the start of maximum telework (i.e., approximately 4 months).Of those who responded, 74.0 percent (n 12,267) indicated teleworking almost exclusively since maximumtelework began, with no regular tasks conducted at NIH-owned or leased buildings. Many respondents (61.8%)indicated their NIH role could be accomplished very effectively via telework (see figure 6). When asked howphysical separation from coworkers had impacted them, more than half of respondents who were physicallyseparated from coworkers indicated no or limited impact (58.2%; see figure 7).Figure 6. How Effectively NIH Role Can BePerformed via Telework (n 16,673)Figure 7. Impact of Physical Separationfrom Coworkers (n 15,682)Percentage of Not veryeffectivelyNIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey4.6%Not effectivelyat allNegatively,27.6%No or limitedimpact, 58.2%Note: Figure 7 excludes respondents who selected I havebeen coming to the workplace regularly and interactingwith co-workers throughout the pandemic.
Intramural and Extramural Programs: Telework18.5 percent of extramural respondents and 34.4 percent of intramural respondents reported that physicalseparation from coworkers has negatively impacted their workday (see appendix B). Most extramuralrespondents (88%) indicated they could perform their role very effectively via telework, whereas only 41.0percent of intramural employees believed they could perform their role very effectively via telework.Spotlight on . . .Certain groups may be experiencing heightened negative work impacts as a result of COVID-19:5 49.1 percent of trainees indicated they could not perform their work effectively via telework comparedwith less than 25.0 percent of other NIH employment types. 51.0 percent of trainees, 48.9 percent of volunteers, and 42.3 percent of guest researchers indicatedthey experienced negative impacts due to physical separation from coworkers compared with less than15.0 percent of NIH employees, contractors, and non-NIH federal employees. Across types of work performed, 35.4 percent of scientific core personnel and 31.2 percent ofresearch personnel indicated they could not do their work effectively via telework compared with lessthan 25.0 percent among other work types.NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey
Job Productivity and SatisfactionOne in four respondents indicated that their productivity had decreased since the pandemic began (see figure 8).Regarding job satisfaction, 18.0 percent of respondents indicated being less satisfied with their jobs (see figure 9).Figure 8. Change in Job ProductivitySince Pandemic (n 16,343)Figure 9. Change in Job SatisfactionSince Pandemic (n 15,967)No change, 36.3%Lower thannormal, 25.7%Higher thannormal, 38.0%Same,58.3%Higher,23.7%Lower,18.0%To assess potential drivers and barriers to job productivity, the survey asked respondents to select factors thathad either a positive or negative impact on their productivity. The NIH survey team then analyzed the relationshipbetween higher than normal productivity and respondents’ responses to drivers of productivity, as well as therelationship between lower than normal productivity and respondents’ responses to barriers to productivity.DRIVERS OF PRODUCTIVITY: Regarding drivers of productivity, 58.1 percent (n 9,370) of respondentsindicated that teleworking had a positive impact on their productivity followed by work-life balance (43.6%;n 7,031). A correlation analysis showed that higher than normal job productivity was most associated withselecting teleworking (ρ 0.38)2 and increased sense of meaning through my work mission (ρ 0.20) as driversof productivity.BARRIERS TO PRODUCTIVITY: Regarding barriers to productivity, 28.8 percent (n 4,536) of respondentsindicated that uncertainty about the timeline for returning to onsite work had a negative impact on theirproductivity, followed by the heightened political and social environment due to recent societal events3 (28.3%; n 4,456). Correlations showed that lower than normal job productivity was most associated with selecting myresearch was put on hold (ρ -0.39) and changes to laboratory and/or animal facility access (ρ -0.30) asbarriers to productivity.2Spearman's rho is a nonparametric statistical test measuring the strength of an association between two variables, where 1 indicates a perfect positive correlation and -1 indicates a perfect negative/inverse correlation.3The survey administration in July 2020 coincided with a period of heightened scrutiny on systemic racism and nationwideprotests. These events, which permeated the U.S. cultural consciousness, are an important factor that may have influencedthe productivity and mental health of individuals throughout NIH’s diverse scientific workforce in addition to the effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic.6NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact Survey
Spotlight on . . .Certain groups indicated lower job productivity and satisfaction since the pandemic: 69.4 percent of trainees, 54.4 percent of volunteers, and 52.0 percent of guest researchers indicatedlower job productivity since the pandemic began compared to less than 20 percent of NIH employees,contractors, and non-NIH federal employees. Similarly, 40.0 percent of guest researchers, 36.5 percent of trainees, and 33.7 percent of volunteersindicated lower job satisfaction since the pandemic began compared to less than 16 percent of NIHemployees, contractors, and non-NIH federal employees.Intramural and Extramural Programs: Productivity and SatisfactionRegarding job productivity, 8.7 percent of extramural respondents and 40.3 percent of intramural respondentsindicated their productivity was lower than normal (appendix B). Regarding job satisfaction, 11 percent ofextramural respondents and 24 percent of intramural respondents reported lower job satisfaction sincethe pandemic.Mental HealthApproximately one in five respondents indicated that awareness of or attention to mental health has had a positiveimpact on their productivity, whereas 7.4 percent of respondents indicated it has had a negative impact on theirproductivity (see figure 10). 74.5 percent of respondents said that awareness or attention to mental health has hada neutral or no impact on their productivity.Figure 10. Impact of Mental Healthon Productivity (n 15,613)No or neutralimpact,74.5%Positiveimpact,18.1%7Negative impact, 7.4%NIH Workforce COVID-19 Impact SurveyIntramural and Extramural Programs:Mental HealthRegarding mental health, 18.9 percent of extramuralrespondents and 16.4 percent of intramuralrespondents said that awareness or attention tomental health has had a positive impact on theirproductivity (see appendix B).However, 74.8 percent of extramural respondentsand 75.9 percent of intramural respondents said thatawareness or attention to mental health has had aneutral or no impact on their productivity.
Support from NIHMost respondents indicated that NIH communications regarding health/wellness and work status were veryeffective (55.9% and 61.4%, respectively; see figures 11 and 12).Figure 11. Effectiveness of NIH Health andWellness Communications (n 16,045)Figure 12. Effectiveness of NIH Work StatusCommunications (n 16,076)70%Percentage of RespondentsPercentage of ryeffectiveSomewhateffectiveNot %VeryeffectiveNot effectiveat allSomewhateffect
1. Understand the impact of COVID-19 on the NIH workforce (Note: Objective 1 is the focus of this Executive Summary) 2. Assess the impact of COVID-19 on populations underrepresented in the scientific workforce 3. Identify groups that may be newly vulnerable due to factors related to COVID-19 4. Enable NIH to implement interventions
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