Financial execs are threatening to leave if forced to return to the office

BACK TO THE OFFICE: Much of the return-to-work conversation has pitted employer versus employee, with leadership pushing for in-office attendance while workers demand more flexible options. 德勤 's recent workplace engagement survey of mid-level to executive financial professionals found that 66% responded that they would likely?leave their current job ?if they were asked to return to the office full-time, with both men and women placing value on workplace flexibility.

"There's a perception that employers want people in the office 100% of the time and employees don't want to be in the office at all, and that's not true," says Neda Shemluck , managing director and U.S. financial services DEI leader at Deloitte. "The struggle is, how do you still require some in-person connectivity, and yet provide autonomy to team leaders to determine what is best for their teams?"?

Read: Return to office mandates are pushing financial leadership out the door

HIRING BIAS: According to Zippia , 65% of recruiters use AI to narrow down their candidates, and 67% say AI has improved the recruitment process. But like humans, AI can come with biases built into their systems. New York City's new AI law, otherwise called?Local Law 144 , wants to hold employers accountable for preventing those biases. Local Law 144, which went into effect last month, requires employers to audit their automated employment decision tools, or AEDTs, each year for any possible biases they bring to the hiring process.?

While this may be a cause for concern for many employers since they have to add another compliance hurdle to the agenda, it could also be incredibly beneficial down the line. Here's why:

Read: Why employers shouldn't fear NYC's new AI law

FINANCIAL WELLNESS: Too often, well-meaning employers are short-sighted when it comes to financial benefits beyond a paycheck, writes Tina Moore Gilbert (She.Her.Hers) and Tom Spann . Many only offer retirement savings programs and access to certified financial planners, which are mainly used by people who have money to save or invest. At the same time, lower income employees more likely to face daily economic struggles are disproportionately people of color.?

If you are a compensation and HR leader, it's time to consider whether your benefits are unintentionally creating barriers and working against your DEI strategy rather than providing relief.

Read: Are your benefits perpetuating systemic racism? Here's what to do instead