Global CHROs Accelerate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts

Now more than ever, senior HR professionals are leading the way in centering DE&I in the new world of work for an enhanced employee experience.

Around the world, HR professionals are taking lessons learned from the past year and centering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) at the forefront of the new world of work. According to a survey of chief human resources officers (CHROs) of more than 390 employers globally, 82% of respondents said that diversity and inclusion (D&I) would be a top priority for the post-COVID work environment. Additionally, 71% of respondents identified cultural transformation as a top issue of concern, along with executive development (50%), talent management (49%), and both digitization of the workplace and employee experience (32%).

HR Leaders Take Tangible Steps Toward DE&I

These findings represent a major push for employers and the HR professionals who support them, including those handling talent mobility, to intentionally incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace even beyond this past year. Not only have global reckonings around race occurred since 2020, but the remote work environment has skyrocketed the need for employers to enhance the employee experience, and cultivate a working environment conducive for virtual employees, and employees of different backgrounds and identities.

So how are these HR professionals taking steps to create positive changes in the workplace around DE&I? According to the survey, 85% cite increased C-suite involvement as well as the expansion of inclusion activities. Seventy percent have started or are expanding unconscious bias training and 51% are focusing on hiring from educational institutions with strong minority talent. Other approaches include the removal of names from resumes; community partnerships to help source and prepare diverse talent; creating DE&I positions; and adding or strengthening incentive metrics on diversity, and more.

The Future of Talent is Diverse and Inclusive

Such activities are sure to go a long way in ensuring that both current and future talent is supported, and that a culture of inclusion, equity, and belonging is cultivated for employee success. These efforts are more important than ever for business success as well as for the next generation of talent. According to another survey, more than half of respondents said that they would exclude a company from their job search if the company’s stance on diversity and inclusion didn’t match their own. This was especially true for respondents aged 30 and younger, representing the shifting landscape of priorities for up-and-coming talent.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Challenges in Mobility

Mobility professionals continue to center DE&I in the new world of work, which includes everything from DE&I from the corporate side, to increasing minority participation in expatriate assignments, to taking tangible steps toward making employees feel safe and included no matter their background or identity. To learn more about how mobility is taking the DE&I challenge head-on and improving the overall employee experience, check out this month’s issue of Mobility magazine! To continue your learning about DE&I and apply it toward your professional development, earn your GMS with our newly revamped GMS, which now includes Talent to give you the GMS-T!