by An evolving remote workforce 56% of the U.S. workforce can work from home and 25-30% of the workforce WILL work from home by the end of 2021. When working remotely, different employees have different living conditions. For instance:
- Working women are expected to balance home and work-life.
- There might be lack of a dedicated and quiet space for employees to focus on their work, and so on.
People in leadership will need to figure out ways to bridge the remote gaps, and minimize challenges if they allow remote work.
- Enabling diverse gender identity and gender expression raises issues on access to gender-neutral restrooms, adopting employee health benefits for transitioning individuals, and creating awareness around using inclusive language for gender non-binary and transgender employees. It’s a different mindset and we must be sensitive to it.
- Re-engineering employee experience: COVID-19 brought all four characteristics of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) to life, as the world felt the devastating impact of the pandemic on the health of people and businesses. There are countless examples of leaders and organizations anchoring their business aspirations and focusing on humanity being there for their people. Along with providing COVID-19 care and coverage for employees and families, many organizations set-up special trainings to help leaders lead remote teams, upskilling programs for employees to help them stay relevant in a dynamic post-COVID world, and EAP sessions on mental and physical well-being to help employees stay positive during this trying time. The concept of ‘equity’ is about understanding individual needs and tailoring policies that fit different needs, experiences, and opportunities. Organizations will need to focus on building virtual communities and providing avenues for pride and camaraderie.
- Multigenerational workforce: The current workforce includes up to five different generations and they each have unique workplace expectations and bring in different life experiences, voices and skill sets. It is important for leaders to be aware of the differences and use different strategies to, celebrate employees of every generation.
- Eliminating unconscious bias in the workplace: Unconscious bias is how we process information and make decisions based on our unconscious or inherent biases and prejudices toward others at home and work. Leaders must be aware of this and ensure that these biases are checked and minimized consistently. There are some good classes on Linkedin Learning if you need a resource to get you started.
- Adoption of HR Technology: Biases are human, and AI and Talent Analytics tools can be leveraged to reduce preconceived notions and promote a more inclusive workplace. HR Tech tools allow organizations to source potential candidates and shortlist the best talent based on key skills required for the job. These tools help check prejudices that edge into the recruitment process and may overlook a potential high-performing candidate. HR Technology can hold people accountable to an organization’s diversity goals. For example: capturing feedback from employees regularly via employee surveys or after townhalls can help the organization better understand how an initiative is being perceived and what can be improved.
- Gearing up for systemic changes: 2020 highlighted systemic injustices and flaws across our nation with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many innocent people of color. It exposed the grim reality of a racist and unjust society. It uncovered the dire for organizations to gear up and make some radical and much-needed changes that will impact the functioning of our cultures. Leaders should do their best to combat any discrimination against underrepresented groups in their company and policies should be put in place to ensure that the workplace is a safe place for ALL employees.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Equity in the workplace refers to fair and impartial processes and outcomes for each person in the company. To it, leaders and employers need to be mindful of the challenges, barriers, and advantages at play for everyone at any given point in time. Equity is the reminder that not everyone starts at the same level playing field, and swift and vigilant action is important in building a fair workplace.
- Hiring diversity professionals: Companies are now hiring diversity professionals who are committed to the vision and mission of creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. The job is a mix of HR, recruitment, and leadership roles and responsibilities. Diversity professionals carry on a number of tasks such as holding and organizing educative sessions on diversity and inclusion, creating an inclusive culture in the workplace, introducing new ideas to improve D&I in the workplace, rooting and pushing for the use of an inclusive language, managing complaints on harassment and workplace discrimination, etc. As the role of diversity professionals have become increasingly popular, the trend of hiring them is only predicted to grow this year.
- Increased transparency in goals: We know that more diversity in a company does not necessarily equal more equity and inclusion. While efforts at diversity may increase, the same is not always the case for efforts at inclusivity. A growing diversity and inclusion trend in 2021 will be for companies to set transparent targets, goals, and D&I initiatives. Doing so will increase accountability of people in leadership positions, encourage honest conversations between employees and their bosses, and inspire them to share ideas and solutions.
- Supporting employees’ mental health: The pandemic created a blow to the mental health of many employees and professionals because of businesses shutting down, people losing jobs, adjusting to the new normal of working from home, and the constant health scare of getting the coronavirus. Even though the conversation around the mental health and wellbeing of employees was already gaining traction in the past couple of years, 2020 witnessed it take a whole new turn. A relevant diversity and inclusion trend in 2021 will be for organizations to put effective policies in place on how supervisors, managers, and coworkers talk, behave, and empathize with each other.
- Looking beyond tokenism: Diversity and inclusion is much more than hiring a person of color or including one woman in a panel full of men. Diversity just for the sake of diversity, or political correctness, will not make the cut anymore. It is a time to be more mindful, and intentional about diversity and inclusion goals and strategies.
