Survey says: Since 2021, DIA has been polling ANS members about various topics related to work. DIA has tried to build data on emotional intelligence and work-life balance at past ANS Winter Meetings through the two “Nuclear Family Feud” events held to date. Building off these surveys, a trend has emerged about why members are selecting and staying at certain jobs, especially when looking at work-life balance and social/political differences within certain communities.
Recent surveying of the ANS membership indicates that many within our community feel that state and local laws motivated from a social angle can present challenges both to our workforce and to the educational pipeline. For example, local circumstances around health care, accessibility, and job security impact where people feel safe or comfortable living, and by extension, where they feel safe working. The emphasis of this roundtable discussion is not on the policies themselves, but their impact on the people that make up the nuclear community and the challenges members face when making decisions about where to work or even remaining within the field.
The roundtable: The June 29 event will be a virtual, ANS-wide roundtable. First, the panelists will discuss the real challenges that members of the nuclear community face when making decisions about staying in or leaving the industry. They will also offer strategies for individuals and institutions to navigate policies having a negative impact on their livelihood, workplace performance, or institutional growth. Then, a discussion of feedback from the recent ANS member survey will follow.
The Panelists:
- Sarah Davis, North American Young Generation in Nuclear (moderator)
- Emory Colvin, student, Oregon State University
- Charlyne Smith, Breakthrough Institute
- Julie Ezold, DIA member
- Rebecca Young, labor and employment attorney, Idaho National Laboratory
