Southern Miss School of Leadership Professor Presents Research at Rutgers Business Conference

Fri, 03/08/2024 - 11:04am | By: Dena Temple

Dr. Bhagyashree Barhate, Assistant Professor of Human Capital Development at The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) School of Leadership, recently presented a research paper at the Conference on Women in Hybrid and Remote Work. The conference was hosted by Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The Conference on Women in Hybrid & Remote Work brought together academic scholars, industry leaders, and other innovative thinkers to discuss experiences, barriers, and next steps for those working in hybrid and remote environments and for organizations dealing with the challenges of these new work environments.

Dr. Barhate participated in a panel discussion, “Are We Caring Enough About the Impact on Caregivers?” The panel discussed the unique challenges – economical and emotional – of acting as a caregiver for a child or loved one. The session discussed the latest research on how companies and organizations can incorporate flexibility to retain these workers and reduce the stigma of caregiving.

“During the pandemic,” said Dr. Barhate, “people in the workforce – particularly women – discovered that a hybrid work schedule allowed them to make a valuable contribution to the success of their company, while at the same time perform their caregiving functions at home.”

She continued, “The pandemic forced all workplace activities and procedures to hard reset. This panel discussed how companies are making changes to be more accommodating of female employees and how much more they still need to do to ensure women’s career advancement.”

Dr. Barhate has been teaching Human Capital Development (HCD) at Southern Miss since 2022. The Human Capital Development program prepares graduates to improve performance in organizations through the talents of people. The program is respected internationally as leading innovators in HCD, as evidenced by the quality of graduates and faculty research.

“Women – particularly women in leadership positions – are often expected to sacrifice some or all of their home lives in the pursuit of career success,” said Dr. Heather Annulis, Director of the School of Leadership. “This is not only unnecessary, it is unhealthy. Dr. Barhate’s research on workplace satisfaction and burnout bears this out.

Dr. Annulis continued, “We are proud that Rutgers Center for Women in Business called upon her to serve as an expert panelist for this important discussion, on a topic that affects the success of organizations and women in organizations.”

The School of Leadership is housed within the College of Business and Economic Development at The University of Southern Mississippi and operates on the Coastal USM campus in Long Beach, Mississippi. Its undergraduate degree programs include Accounting, Applied Technology, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering Technology, Industrial Engineering Technology (Logistics), Management, and Marketing. Graduate programs include Human Capital Development, Human Capital Development (Instructional Technology and Design), Instructional Technology and Design, and Logistics, Trade and Transportation. Learn more about these degree programs or email.