From fostering an inclusive, psychologically-safe work environment, to leveraging recent technology breakthroughs, here are the top trends in DE&I to help you attract and retain the best talent.
1. Inclusive Leadership
Research has indicated that one of the key ways that employees feel included in the workplace is linked to their leader’s ability to lead and manage inclusively. This creates significant challenges in some industries where the emphasis is on technical and analytical competencies. Emotional and social intelligence are also growing in significance as organizations are assessing and redefining core competencies.
Recommended reading:
- The Key to Inclusive Leadership. What leaders say and do makes a big impact on how included employees feel. In fact, it makes up to a 70% difference. Read to explore the six signature traits that inclusive leaders share.
- Center for Creative Leadership’s article titled ‘Inclusive Leadership: Steps Your Organization Should Take to Get It Right.’ Want to truly connect with your employees? Empathy is the foundation to do so, which also sets the stage for inclusion. Read to learn the seven acts of inclusive leadership, starting with empathy.
2. Psychological Safety
After George Floyd’s murder, organizations engaged in listening sessions to better understand how their employees were impacted and what the organization could do to better embrace the concepts of equity and inclusion. Many employees expressed concerns about a lack of psychological safety. They felt an increasing inability to express themselves at work due to a significant concern and/or fear of having their status, career or self-image negatively impacted.
Recommended reading:
- BIPOC Employees Won’t Return to the Office if You Can’t Guarantee Their Psychological Safety. A leader may believe that they are creating a safe space, only to discover that employees are not truly feeling comfortable. Employees can’t engage with diversity efforts if there is underlying fear. Read to understand the significance of psychological safety.
- Why You Should Care About Psychological Safety in the Workplace. What organization doesn’t want better efficiency, cost-savings and productivity? Creating a psychologically-safe environment fosters these benefits. Read to learn the origins of psychological safety and how it decreases attrition and saves money.
3. Artificial Intelligence in Talent & DE&I Management
As the prevalence of unconscious bias training has reached a critical mass, those with talent, HR and leadership responsibilities have embraced the implementation of technology-based solutions. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into the hiring processes is on the rise.
Recommended reading:
- AI Takes Aim at Employee Turnover. With The Great Resignation, organizations are using technology such as chatbots and machine learning to enhance HR strategies. Read for tips on using AI to gauge employee mindsets, identify flight risks and boost career support.
- Recruiting with AI: Winning the Race for Talent. In the competitive struggle for talent, organizations are incorporating modern technologies into their recruitment processes. Read to see how AI-driven solutions are changing how organizations hire given recent technology breakthroughs.