Vulnerabilities in workplace features for essential workers with breast cancer: Implications for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Work
; 71(4): 815-823, 2022.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2080074
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the health and financial vulnerabilities of essential workers, especially among women.OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study is to understand the workplace environment of essential workers.METHODS:
We used data from a prospective cohort study of disparities in employment outcomes among women undergoing breast cancer treatment between 2010-2018 in New York City. We characterized participants as essential or non-essential based on self-reported occupation/industry and New York State executive orders issued during the pandemic. We compared job benefits and perceptions of workplace environment between groups.RESULTS:
There were 563participants:
341 essential and 222 non-essential workers. Essential workers less frequently reported access to disability pay through work [n(%) 148 (58) versus 130 (73), pâ<â0.01]. Essential workers in unions had greater availability of sick leave and disability pay than non-unionized essential workers (86% versus 53%, pâ<â0.01, and 76% versus 46%, pâ<â0.01, respectively). Health insurance differed by essential worker status (pâ<â0.01) essential workers more frequently had public insurance (29% versus 18%). Surprisingly, in multivariable analyses controlling for age, race/ethnicity, income, education, chemotherapy receipt, and comfort with English, essential workers were less likely to say their employer had treated them unfairly (pâ<â0.01). However, minorities were less likely to say their employer was accommodating (pâ=â0.03) and more likely to say their employer had treated them unfairly (pâ<â0.01) than Non-Latina Whites.CONCLUSIONS:
We identified vulnerabilities in workplace protections, particularly among essential workers not in unions. Minority women more often had negative perceptions of their work environment, possibly reflecting employer bias.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Breast Neoplasms
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Work
Journal subject:
Occupational Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Wor-211095
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