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Findings, Section 1: Workplace Culture


Workplace culture is a living embodiment of an organization’s norms, values, and day-to-day environment. For art museums, the workplace is both a private and public setting—an active exchange of visitors and the many workers who make cultural experiences possible. The workplace culture of any art museum permeates throughout this ongoing exchange, observable to audiences and experienced most profoundly by workers themselves. In examining art museums as workplaces and not solely as public spaces, the dynamics of their cultures can be better understood and improved upon for the betterment of workers and visitors alike.

The nature of work—where, when, how, and why we work—has been irrevocably altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Established ways of working, including the pre-pandemic norms of fully in-person work and unsustainable workloads, have been put into question, and a collective call for cultures of care has taken root. From experiments with hybrid work and desires to diversify the field to rising public accountability and museum protest movements, art museum workplaces are in a critical era of transition.


Workplace Sentiments

Roughly half of art museum workers would recommend their workplaces to friends and family. Across seniority levels, executives are much more likely to recommend their workplaces to loved ones, at 66% compared to 53% for museum workers overall (see fig. 1).

Low workplace well-being is notable across industries in the US, most profoundly experienced during the pandemic. A 2021 study of 1,500 US workers, conducted by Mind Share Partners, found that 84% of workers attributed poor mental health to their workplace, and that the most common factors were emotionally draining work and challenges with work-life balance.6 A sizable contingent (40%, see fig. 2) of art museum workers in our survey believe that their workplace culture is negatively affecting their health. This is especially true for those who have experienced discrimination in their workplaces (66%) and for those with disabilities (48%).

Figure 1. Would You Recommend Your Workplace to Friends and Family?

Please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement in relation to the culture of your current museum workplace: “I would recommend this workplace to friends and family.”*

53%26%21%WouldrecommendNeutralWould notrecommendExecutiveDirector LevelManagerOverallExperienced Non-ManagerEntry Level14%19%19%22%25%66% 58%50%51%56%20%23%31%27%19%

* The proportion who agree or strongly agree with this statement indicated by selecting a 6 or 7 on a 7-point scale.

Figure 2. Belief That Workplace Culture Negatively Affects Their Health

Please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement in relation to the culture of your current museum workplace: “The culture of my workplace negatively affects my mental and/or physical health.” *

40% Overall
66% Workers who have experienced discrimination
48% Workers with disabilities

* The proportion who agree or strongly agree with this statement indicated by selecting a 6 or 7 on a 7-point scale.


Institutional Decision Making

Most workers believe that museum boards are the leading driver of institutional decisions (see fig. 3). There is an overall belief that the board’s priorities influence leadership decisions far more than a museum’s mission, the interests of neighboring communities, the input of staff, or the interests of museum visitors.

Seniority in the museum shapes workers’ perceptions of what most influences the priorities of their institutions. Compared to all other museum workers, executives are far more likely to believe that the museum’s mission drives decision making and that input from museum staff is an influential force. Museum staff, on the other hand, perceive the board to be most influential and are less likely to believe staff input drives leadership decisions.

The perceptual gap between executive and non-executive workers suggests a need for greater communication and transparency surrounding museum decision making. Museum leaders have the opportunity to better contextualize institutional decisions and priorities to those carrying out the day-to-day work of the museum—a move that would better equip workers in their respective roles while also empowering them to provide input on the future of their organizations.

Figure 3. Drivers of Institutional Decision Making: Executive vs. Non-Executive Perspectives

What/Who do you believe has a large impact on your museum leadership’s decisions? Please select all that apply.

Executive Perspectives Non-Executive Perspectives
1 85% The museum’s mission, vission, and/or values 70% The museum board’s priorities
2 64% Input from museum staff 56% The museum’s mission, vission, and/or values
3 56% The museum board’s priorities 29% The interests of the communities around the museum
4 55% The interests of the communities around the museum 28% Input from the museum staff
5 34% The interests of the current museum visitors 23% The interests of the current museum visitors

Return-to-Work

Following pandemic-era closures, art museums are experimenting with workplace flexibility in their Return-to-Work policies, with the majority of workers (59%, see fig. 4) operating in a hybrid setup, working partially at home and partially onsite. Notably, art museums rarely offer fully remote roles, with only 1% of workers performing their duties entirely from home.

While hybrid flexibility is the most common arrangement for the majority of art museum workers, there is a considerable subset (37%) of workers required to be fully onsite. Hybrid work is a privilege not afforded to all types of museum workers. Workers’ disability, full-time or part-time, and seniority status and department considerably impact whether they are given any hybrid flexibility.

Workers with disabilities are more likely to be working fully in person than workers without disabilities, at 45% and 35% respectively (see fig. 5). This is, in part, due to the fact that workers with disabilities are most likely to be part-time and working in public engagement, and are largely required to be in person due to the nature of their jobs. While a plurality of workers with disabilities enjoy hybrid work benefits, the disproportionate requirement for fully onsite work presents the opportunity for museums to reevaluate and invest more in their accommodations for workers with disabilities.

Figure 4. Return-to-Work Policies for Workers Overall

Which of the following best represents your museum’s post-COVID Return-to-Work policy, as it applies to you? Select all that apply.

59%Hybrid37%FullyOnsite3%Not YetDetermined1%FullyRemote
Figure 5. Return-to-Work Policies for Workers with Disabilities

Which of the following best represents your museum’s post-COVID Return-to-Work policy, as it applies to you?

47%Hybrid45%FullyOnsite4%Not YetDetermined4%FullyRemote

Hybrid privileges are largely a full-time benefit, with the majority of part-time workers (67%) required to work in person only (see fig. 6).

Figure 6. Working in Person Only, Part-Time vs. Full-Time Workers

Which of the following statements best represents your museum’s post-COVID Return-to-Work policy, as it applies to you? “I am/will be working in person only.”

67%
of part-time workers
32%
of full-time workers

Hybrid work is a privilege that increases linearly with seniority (see fig. 7). The more senior the worker, the more hybrid flexibility is likely. Inversely, the more junior the worker, the more likely they are to be required to work in person only.

Figure 7. Hybrid Work Privileges, by Seniority

Which of the following statements best represents your museum’s post-COVID Return-to-Work policy, as it applies to you? “I am working in a hybrid setup."7

83% Executive
79% Director Level
67% Manager
60% Experienced Non-Manager
47% Entry Level

Workers’ ability to work from home also depends on their function within the museum’s day-to-day operations. Departments that are most tied to the physical museum experience are required to be onsite at higher rates, such as building operations and public engagement (see fig. 8). Departments such as collections, administration, and communications, which are somewhat less tethered to the physical site, require fewer fully onsite workers.

Figure 8. Working in Person Only, by Department

Which of the following statements best represents your museum’s post-COVID Return-to-Work policy, as it applies to you? “I am/will be working in person only.”

67% Building Operations
45% Public Engagement
35% Collections
26% Administration
22% Communications

When it comes to Return-to-Work, there is no established industry standard. Art museums across the country are exploring hybrid work in its many forms. The level of hybrid flexibility—how many and which days of the week a worker is required to be onsite—differs from museum to museum. The most popular hybrid work structure is a collaborative approach, where the museum dictates the number of onsite days and the worker chooses which days to work in person each week (see fig. 9). The second most common structure is a worker-led model, wherein the worker chooses when and how often they work onsite. The least common arrangement is also the most restrictive for workers, where the museum fully dictates when and how often workers should be onsite.

Figure 9. Prevalence of Hybrid Work Models

Which of the following best represents your museum’s post-COVID Return-to-Work policy, as it applies to you?

Collaborative Approach 33% Workers whose museums dictate number of onsite days but don’t specify which ones
Worker-led Approach 22% Workers who fully dictate when and how often to work onsite
Museum-led Approach 17% Workers whose museums fully dictate when and how often to work onsite

Most hybrid workers enjoy some control over which days they work onsite. And most art museum workers are satisfied overall with the level of control over their workplace flexibility (see fig. 10).

Figure 10. Worker Satisfaction with Workplace Hours and Location

In your current employment situation, how satisfied are you with your control over your hours and/or location (e.g. ability to work flexible hours, work remotely)? *

58% of art museum workers overall
73% of hybrid art museum workers

* The proportion who agree or strongly agree with this statement indicated by selecting a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale.


Workplace Diversity

At all levels of seniority and in roles across art museums, workers are most likely to be white. Entry-level workers are by far the most racially diverse cohort of workers. People of color comprise 28% of entry-level art museum workers and identify with a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds (see fig. 11). Of note, racial diversity is next highest at the executive level—largely driven by the number of Black executives. While the diversification of executive workers is promising, museum leadership remains predominantly white.

Figure 11. Race/Ethnicity in Art Museums, by Seniority

With which of the following racial/ethnic groups do you identify? Select all that apply.

AsianBlackNative American/Alaska Native LatinxMENAMultiracialWhiteExperienced/Non-ManagerManagerDirector Level Entry Level79%3%1%9%7%11%6%80%2%1%6%7%8%12%* Study participants were able to select all identities that applied, resulting in overall data sums that exceeded 100%. Visualization components are normalized but data are not.72%13%12%17%1%1%8%Executive82%1%1%3%7%10%2%73%2%3%8%16%9%7%

When it comes to the internal culture of art museums, most workers (60%, see fig. 12) believe that diversity and difference are celebrated in their workplaces. However, race and ethnicity play a vital role in workers’ experience of their workplaces and, thus, influence perceptions of how inclusive workplaces feel. When compared to the average art museum worker, white workers are more likely to feel that diversity and difference are celebrated by their workplaces, while Black workers are significantly less likely to hold that belief.

Figure 12. Belief in Museum’s Celebration of Diversity, by Race/Ethnicity

Please rate how much you agree or disagree with the following statement in relation to the culture of your current museum workplace: “Diversity and difference are not celebrated in this organization.”8

Overall
60%
White
63%
Latinx
63%
MENA
58%
Multiracial
55%
Asian
54%
Black
52%
Native American/Alaska Native
47%

* The proportion who disagree or strongly disagree with this statement indicated by selecting a 1 or 2 on a 7-point scale.

For many art museum workers, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a practice that lives within and beyond the culture of the museum. Most workers feel a sense of personal responsibility for carrying out DEI principles, with 68% reporting that they personally incorporate DEI into their work (see fig. 13). Museum workers largely contribute to DEI efforts through these personal, albeit still vital pathways, rather than formal museum-wide initiatives. Believing that one incorporates DEI principles into one’s work increases linearly with seniority, with the vast majority of executives (91%) believing that DEI is embedded in their work and only a slight majority of entry-level workers (54%) believing that they personally incorporate such principles.

Figure 13. Incorporation of DEI Principles in Work, by Seniority

What kind of role, if any, do you have in your museum’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? “I personally incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in my overall work.”

68% Overall
54% Entry Level
62% Experienced (Non-Manager)
74% Manager
85% Director Level
91% Executive

Similar to the belief that one personally incorporates DEI principles into their work, the likelihood that a worker is serving on a DEI committee also increases linearly with seniority (see fig. 14). Workers currently serving on DEI committees are most likely to be executive- and director-level workers, and many of these leaders are firsttime DEI committee members. 38% of art museum executives are currently serving on DEI committees, only 11% having previously served. 25% of director-level workers are currently serving on DEI committees, where similarly only 11% have previously served. Participation in DEI committees is lowest among entry-level workers, though they are currently participating at greater rates than in years prior.

Figure 14. Participation in DEI Committees, by Seniority

What kind of role, if any, do you have in your museum’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? Are you, or were you previously, a member of a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee at work?

ExecutiveDirector LevelManagerExperienced (Non-Manager)Entry Level38%25%20%15%12%5%12%15%11%11%Currently on DEI CommitteePreviously on DEI Committee40%

Participation in formal DEI efforts has broadened in recent years, with 18% of museum workers reporting that they currently serve on a DEI committee, compared to 11% previously (see fig. 15). Identity is a driving force for current participation in these committees. A worker’s race, gender, disability status, and sexual orientation impacts their participation rates, with multiracial, female, and disabled workers serving at higher rates than other art museum workers. DEI committees are largely staffed by women, which is no surprise given that the overall workforce is predominantly women. Even still, controlling for worker population size, women serve on DEI committees at higher rates than men, at 19% and 13%, respectively.

Figure 15. Identity’s Influence on Participation in DEI Committees

What kind of role, if any, do you have in your museum’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? “I am currently a member of a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee at work.”

18% Overall
31% Multiracial
23% Workers with disabilities
19% Women
19% Non-binary or other gender
13% Men

Entry-level workers have the lowest rates of participation in DEI efforts in art museums (see fig. 16). For these young and diverse workers, lack of awareness about this work is an invisible barrier for their participation. One in four entry-level workers don’t know how to get involved in their museums’ formal DEI work.

Figure 16. Awareness of Museum DEI Efforts

What kind of role, if any, do you have in your museum’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts? “I am not clear about how to get involved in my museum’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.”

I don’t know how to get involved in my museum’s DEI efforts

Entry Level
24%
Experienced (Non-Manager)
12%
Manager
8%
Director Level
5%
Executive
2%

I don’t know if my museum measures internal diversity

Entry Level
58%
Experienced (Non-Manager)
42%
Manager
33%
Director Level
18%
Executive
7%

Not surprisingly, museum executives have the greatest awareness of the measurement and tracking of diversity within their institutions. Most executives report that their museums are tracking the racial and gender composition of their staff and board, and the majority (63%) also track the diversity of artists in their collection (see fig. 17). A minority of museum executives (27%) report tracking the diversity of museum volunteers.

Figure 17. Executive Perspectives: Where Does Diversity Get Measured?

To your knowledge, has your museum measured the composition of any of the following groups with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity within the last three years? Select all that apply.

85%
Staff Diversity
82%
Board Diversity
63%
Diversity of Artists in the Collection
27%
Volunteer Diversity

  1. ^ Mind Share Partners, “2021 Mental Health at Work Report”.
  2. ^ Hybrid setup includes three options: “where the museum chooses how many and which days to work from home and which days to work from the museum,” “where I get to choose how many and which days to work from home and which days to work in the museum,” and “where the museum chooses how many days to work from home and how many days to work from the museum and I get to choose which days.”
  3. ^ The figure reflects an inversion of the original survey question. Due to the complexity of the double negative held within “disagreeing that diversity is not celebrated,” we have simplified the figure to those who believe diversity is celebrated. We inferred the percentage of participants who believe diversity is celebrated in their organization as equivalent to the percentage of participants who disagree with the statement “Diversity and difference are not celebrated in this organization.”