5 Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Trends & Priorities for 2022

From race to gender, class, sexual orientation and religion - and beyond - diversity is becoming more prevalent across America. Nowhere is this more evident than in the growing racial and ethnic diversity of the country, which according to the 2020?Census shows a significant increase in the rise of people identifying as Latino or Hispanic, Asian American, and two or more races. With increasing diversity projected for the future, the business, moral and legal case for inclusion, diversity and equity (IDE) couldn’t be stronger.

1 — Leading Inclusively in a Post-COVID World

Needless to say, COVID 19 has changed the world of work dramatically. As organizations that were forced to adopt flexible and remote work arrangements prepare for a post-pandemic era, the need for inclusive leadership has come to the fore. There are several actions employers can and should take. First, preserving flexible work arrangements as much as possible. This is especially for women, who tend to have primary caregiving responsibilities, the key to retention is flexibility. Second, for women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and other historically excluded groups in the workplace, the fear of returning to an office environment that is not inclusive have to be assuaged.

Employees working from home and anywhere may experience mental health challenges, and need to be supported. Providing a climate where people feel free to talk openly about mental health issues with coworkers is critical, and managers and HR professionals must be equipped through training programs like the SHRM Workplace Mental Health Ally Certificate. For organizations that have decided to make remote or hybrid work “permanent”, it is very important to train managers on how to lead and manage remote and virtual teams in an inclusive and?sustainable manner.?

2 — Delivering on Promises to Advance Racial Equity?

Corporate America confronted racism in 2020, with business leaders making bold promises to hire more Black (and BIPOC) talent and leaders and advance racial equity. With many organizations focused on articulating their IDE strategy and building IDE infrastructure in 2020 and 2021, now is the time for progress, not promises.?

At Kaizen Human Capital, we advise organizations to institutionalize governance and accountability for their IDE efforts through external engagements and initiatives, e.g. joining an industry-wide IDE initiative, and appointing external/independent?experts to serve on IDE councils. For larger organizations pursuing IDE maturity, we strongly recommend signing up for initiatives such as MLT Black Equity at Work Certification. Initiatives like this provide a roadmap and independent accountability that can help drive progress on increasing Black representation, achieving pay equity, and fostering an antiracist work environment.?

In addition, as I mentioned above, America’s Asian American, LatinX and multi-racial population is growing significantly. Forward-thinking organizations?need to identify the societal and workplace challenges that these groups face and devise inclusive workplace practices to deal with them.?

3 — Making Space for Religion in IDE Programs?

For many of the 70 percent of the U.S. population that has a religious affiliation, it is an important part of their identity and often provides a guide for their behavior in the workplace. However, since faith has been an increasingly contentious issue in society, many organizations are ignoring this important dimension of diversity, with religious employees resorting to “covering” their faith at work. This needs to change, and thankfully many organizations (e.g. Salesforce, Intel, and Google) are taking positive steps to embrace religious inclusion.?

The Religious Freedom and Business Foundation’s Religious Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Index (REDI) provides a useful benchmarking measure for organizations seeking to integrate religion into their IDE initiatives. From featuring religion on their main diversity web page, to accommodating religious needs of employees, addressing religious/spiritual?issues in diversity training, providing chaplains or other spiritual care, and sponsoring faith-based employee resource groups, there is a lot organizations can do to foster an inclusive climate for employees of faith - and no faith.?

4 — Building a More Diverse Supplier Base??

It is now clear that progress on advancing IDE demands action outside of the workplace, especially as it relates to the racial wealth gap. According to the Federal Reserve’s 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances, the median wealth for U.S. households was $24,100 for Blacks, compared to?$36,100 for Hispanics, and $188,200 for Whites. By prioritizing vendor and supplier spending in minority-owned businesses, forward-thinking organizations can not only help to close this persistent racial wealth gap, but also build a more flexible, adaptable, cost-effective and resilient supply chain.?

The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) is playing a leading role in this area. With its 23 regional affiliates and 1,500 corporate members across the U.S., it matches over 13,000 minority-owned businesses that generate $400 billion in output each year with its corporate members. The NMSDC provides a useful platform for larger organizations that are serious about increasing their diverse supplier spend.?

5 — Overcoming Resistance to Diversity Training

With the (renewed) commitment to IDE over the last two years or so, some progress has been made - and resistance to IDE change has come fairly swiftly. In our experience as IDE advisors, resistance to change is a natural reaction and should be expected, especially when it comes to diversity training. Leaders and HR professionals must be careful not to be so dismissive of negative or not-so-positive reactions, as many employees are still unaware or unconvinced about the value of such training - or fatigued by a lack of progress on IDE.?

Getting the fundamentals of IDE training right is a critical first step in managing resistance. At Kaizen, we always caution against cookie-cutter programs and insist on tailoring IDE training to meet the specific needs of the organization and learners. A recent article on IDE training offers several useful recommendations, including taking care not to overload employees. For instance, providing just two or three strategies for managing bias is more useful in minimizing the counterproductive effects of discussing bias than many. In addition, core training concepts must be based on tested and evidence-based practice. More importantly, perhaps, organizations must embrace a change management orientation that genuinely addresses employee concerns and equips them with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the complexity and change associated with IDE.???

Which one of these five priorities resonates with you the most??