Diversity and inclusion have always been catchphrases in the corporate and recruiting world. Experts tell us what they truly mean.
“Leaders are asking, ‘What should I be thinking about?’’ says Michele Myer-Shipp, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for KPMG.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, diversity and inclusion is beginning to play an increasingly prominent role. The pandemic has elevated and underlined different disparities and inequalities. Employers are remaining cognizant of the many work-life challenges faced by their employees, particularly considering the intersections of race, gender, class, and wealth. There remains a need now to source global talent and find diverse candidates who bring their unique lived experiences and working approaches to the table.
According to a report by Mckinsey, diverse employees are struggling the most during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in emerging economies. The pandemic has alerted us to the stark realities of anti-blackness, gender disparities, and racism that continue to be upheld by patriarchal, white supremacy, and other hierarchical structures. The emotional labor and the impenetrable glass ceiling continue to afflict marginalized communities before as well as very well into the job market. The severity of mental health struggles and health and safety continue to impact women, BIPOC, as well as LGBTQ communities disproportionately today.
It is no surprise that women are more highly concentrated in sectors that have suffered the highest unemployment rates during the pandemic and how nearly 65 percent of the Latina and Hispanic populations work in sectors that have experienced the steepest drop in GDP.
HireBee was recently given the opportunity to go to the source by interviewing founders, directors, and talent acquisition professionals and experts from organizations in the US and around the world. They gave us great insight into the significance of diversity and inclusion today and the values that their respective organizations espouse.
Creating Empowering Workplaces Today
‘’As a company, our goal is to create workplaces that reflect the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work,’’ says Nune Grigoryan, a talent acquisition partner working at healthcare-tech company Vineti. It is important that decision-making today takes into account the views and opinions that are being served by these approaches. Diversity takes on a collaborative approach when those most affected are in the driver’s seat for bringing about change.
A human-centered and empathy-driven brand
‘’Diversity is critically important for developing a sense of empathy for various stakeholders in your product ecosystem. Everyone’s context is different, and developing specific product features that cater to these contexts is critical for building a product that people love to use,’’ says Founder and CEO of Myntor Nathan Poon, an e-learning platform that builds online courses that help students outperform traditional classes by answering questions using conversational AI. ‘’The lack of diversity in thoughts and views will affect your product and service directly,’’ echoes Ghukas Stepanyan, Director of Talent Acquisition at PicsArt Inc.
The notion of ‘diversity by design’ is playing an increasingly important role here as companies and employers want to ensure that diverse teams are involved in product planning, development, and execution phases. After the recruitment and development of diverse talent today, companies also need to ensure that diversity and inclusion become more embedded and built into their organizational structures.
’While working on design challenges, we need different voices and experiences at the table. That is where creativity and innovation happens. We are working more and more with community-based organizations across the nation that address a range of problems impacting diverse populations. We need to be intentional when we engage within these communities in ways that support and foster co-creation methods of design and community building.’’ says Dr. Jennifer Mangold, Director of UC Berkeley’s Fung Fellowship at UC, Berkeley.
A hallmark of the new workplace
‘’Diversity is a key value for modern and productive teams. It gives room for creativity and welcomes different approaches and mindsets, which in turn results in generating new solutions,’’ says Nune Maghyakan, a talent acquisition manager at DISQO. The company is currently expanding recruitment practices and recently even created a Diversity Holiday Calendar.
‘’If people have similar values, but have various backgrounds, the possibility of forming a much more creative, modern environment where people can also develop themselves and look at them from a different angle is higher’’, corroborates Nika Muradyan, Sr Talent Acquisition Specialist at ServiceTitan.
Diversity remains central to the development of a welcoming and supportive workplace community and company culture where diversity is seen as more than checking a box or a form of tokenism, but is, more importantly, valued and celebrated.
Given the nature of the fast-paced and evolving talent acquisition market today, attracting rich and diverse talent is a priority for many employers and recruiters. It is important to use the right tools to attract bright and diverse candidates today and source global talent. The HireBee platform is an HR automation recruitment software and is an important tool in the recruitment arsenal, spanning various features with the specific role of casting a wide net when it comes to sourcing and identifying global talent.
The Aristotelian quote about the ‘’whole being greater than the sum of its parts’’ strikes a cord when we look at the significance of diversity in today’s changing corporate environment where work and productivity rely on a collaborative and synergistic approach among a diverse group of people. Corporate leaders today are entrusted with the responsibility of restructuring and reconfiguring the workplace in a post-pandemic world, particularly in light of the changing workforce dynamics and ecosystems today. As diversity and inclusion begin to take on even greater prominence today, we can expect new and greater things from today’s talent.
Author Bio
Shivani Ekkanath is an aspiring journalist and rising senior studying politics and global studies at UC Berkeley. She’s also a content strategist at HireBee.ai and writes actively about recruitment and HR-tech.
