The past year demonstrated that organizations need to deepen their understanding of diversity as well as how to make diversity and inclusion an institutional reality. Organizations that thrive in a fast-changing world will have a workforce with diversity of background, skills and perspectives. Here are ways organizations can approach and foster diversity.
Plan for the future
By 2050, the demographic make-up of the United States will look very different than it does today — diversity will be the norm. Talent in all its diversity is the most potent competitive differentiator. If you want your organization to be competitive 30 years from now, start by assessing hiring practices, creating mentorship programs and leveraging diverse talent pools.
Use assessment to increase diversity
The traditional ways of building and promoting a workforce based on gut instincts can be riddled with unconscious bias. A more equitable way to level the playing field and increase diversity is to assess candidates using data. Businesses have a long way to go on this front, with only 49% of workers globally have been assessed, according to ManpowerGroup research. Furthermore, 81% of those who have been assessed report higher job satisfaction versus 65% of those who have not.
Neurodiversity: The need to think differently
Creativity, imagination and intuition sets us apart from machines. That’s Dyslexic Thinking. Dyslexia is a different way of processing information, and with that different way of thinking comes a pattern of strengths, creativity, innovation, big picture thinking. For organizations, that means understanding and valuing how dyslexia and neurodiversity can be an opportunity to bridge the skills gap of the future.
Provide opportunities for women
Women have been disproportionately affected by both social and economic crises due to the pandemic, and over-represented in job losses across industries including retail, leisure and hospitality. At the same time, there is a clear opportunity for women to reskill and upskill in growth sectors including information technology, operations and logistics. Women are an untapped talent pool which could be re-skilled or upskilled for many of the jobs of tomorrow.
Ongoing measurement of your diversity and engagement efforts and involving employees in that process is essential to ensure you are moving the needle. Achieving diversity, inclusion and equity takes time but by taking proactive steps today your organization can achieve a series of wins along the way.