Diversity Archives - The Future of Work Exchange

The Most Powerful Future Of Work Tool? Our Minds.

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on 07/01/2024

There is often a major discussion around the technology-led attributes of the Future of Work movement, particularly with artificial intelligence (AI) garnering headlines and encompassing the average LinkedIn feed. However, entering a new year, there should just as much conversation around another key facet of the Future of Work: the transformation of business thinking.

This space and most of the Future of Work Exchange’s thought leadership revolves around the concepts of automation, technology, and the platforms revolutionizing the greater world of work and talent. In fact, our definition of the Future of Work pointedly refers to these advancements: the evolution of talent engagement and talent management through new technology, as well as the introduction of exciting platforms that are actively pushing the boundaries of “work optimization,” are two distinct components at the very core of this movement.

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The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 715: A Conversation With Christy Forest, CEO and Executive Director at LiveHire

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 02/08/2024

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast welcomes Christy Forest, CEO and Executive Director at LiveHire, to discuss the current state of direct sourcing, the future of this high-impact strategy, the reality of total talent management, and much more.

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Worksuite, also highlights the importance of “balance” between human-centricity and digital evolution.

DE&I and Balancing Business and Human Imperatives

Business Leadership Diversity and Inclusion General Insights HR Podcast Solution Providers Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 09/18/2023

The Future of Work movement would not be what it is without Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) playing a significant part in the paradigm. A decade ago, diversity was associated more with supplier initiatives focused on Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses. The term has evolved and expanded into DE&I where the human element is now the priority.

A recent Future of Work Exchange Podcast hosted by Christopher Dwyer, managing director for FOWX, featured Rocki Howard, chief equity and impact officer for The Mom Project, who discussed the role and impact of DE&I on the Future of Work movement.

The Mom Project is a digital talent and community platform serving 1.2 million users (the majority being moms as well as over 3,000 companies from small- to medium-sized businesses to Fortune 500).

This article recaps some of that discussion. Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.

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The Future of Work Exchange Podcast, Episode 708: A Conversation With Rocki Howard, Chief Equity and Impact Officer at The Mom Project

Podcast by Christopher J. Dwyer on 07/13/2023

The Future of Work Exchange Podcast welcomes Rocki Howard, Chief Equity and Impact Officer at The Mom Project, to discuss the evolution of diversity and the role (and impact) of DE&I on the Future of Work movement.

In addition, this week’s podcast looks back on last month’s Future of Work Exchange LIVE event in Boston and chats about recent inflation news and its link to the volatile labor market.

The Top Four DE&I Strategies in 2023

Business Leadership Diversity and Inclusion Talent by Christopher J. Dwyer on 05/25/2023

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is a foundational element of the Future of Work movement. Inclusive workplace cultures, diverse workforces, and equitable treatment of talent are all critical attributes of successful organizations. Today on the Future of Work Exchange, we present an exclusive infographic, The Top Four DE&I Strategies in 2023.

Talent Sustainability Through Direct Sourcing

Business Leadership Direct Sourcing Diversity and Inclusion General Insights Talent by John Yuva on 04/17/2023

In 2023, direct sourcing is more than the sum of its parts; rather, it represents near alignment with the direction of business now and in the relative future. The labor market is still unsettled, while economic uncertainty (unfortunately) still rules the day. Businesses are in a continued war for talent, as unemployment sinks to historic lows and millions of job openings remain.

In addition, the Future of Work movement and resulting transformations actively dictate that businesses shift their hiring strategies. All of these facets together represent both a new challenge and a new opportunity for direct sourcing: helping enterprises cultivate a flexible and scalable workforce that drives true talent sustainability.

Direct Sourcing Evolves

Enterprises need sustainable talent most to remain competitive and enable future agility. Direct sourcing can help enterprises achieve talent sustainability through several means.

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Avoid Passing on Passive Job Candidates

Business Leadership Diversity and Inclusion General Insights HR Talent Acquisition by John Yuva on 04/06/2023

When we talk about Future of Work job candidates, it’s often in the context of active recruiting through direct sourcing initiatives, talent marketplaces, or online recruiting platforms. With the transition to skills-based hiring, attracting and selecting the right candidate is even more critical in meeting enterprise goals. As such, it may be time to expand the talent pipeline and include passive job seekers. This candidate segment can lie under the recruitment radar among the hundreds of active job applicants vying for coveted organizational roles.

Passive but Silently Active

Who are passive job candidates? These mostly employed individuals are not currently looking for employment opportunities. Many are happy in their place of work, but should the right career opportunity present itself, they could be persuaded to leave. According to Zippia, an online job recruiting firm, 73% of potential candidates are passive job seekers. And a considerable 87% of these candidates are open to the new job opportunities provided by active recruitment.

Attract an Active Response

Attracting passive job candidates relies on initiatives that are already cornerstones of the Future of Work paradigm. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) programs are attractive to this recruitment segment because they want to work for employers that are progressive and supportive of various causes and lifestyles. Thus, it is imperative that organizations promote their DE&I efforts and results on social media and corporate communications for wide exposure. LinkedIn shared that a total of 134.5 million users regularly uses the platform every day. In addition, more than 48% of LinkedIn users are active each month. Enterprises should be using the platform to expand their reach in the marketplace, promote programs that capture company culture, and solicit users who are interested in employment or organizational programs.

With more enterprises restricting remote work, it is job flexibility and remote/hybrid models that continue to resonate with employees and many job seekers. Now is the time to capitalize on that fact and emphasize that the enterprise fully supports work/life balance and remote/flexible scheduling. Employees who previously enjoyed those benefits but are facing restrictions or revised policies may be more open to recruitment inquiries. At the very least, now is the time to communicate with current and potential employees about the intent to remain a remote/hybrid workplace.

Actively Recruit Passive Candidates

Shifting now from attracting passive candidates to actively recruiting them, there are several strategies identified by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to accomplish that objective.

Social Media

Whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, or association online job boards, social media’s reach is unparalleled. LinkedIn for example, offers recruiter subscriptions to best leverage the platform’s community. According to SHRM, “Another way to find passive job seekers on LinkedIn is to use the ‘advanced people search’ tool and enter your criteria for the ideal candidate for a job that is or will be available at your organization.”

Content Exposure

Establish a company blog to share industry trends and information that business professionals in the field can turn to. It positions the enterprise as thought-leading and engaged with the sector, which can attract passive job candidates looking for best-in-class employers.

Targeted Marketing Collateral

When passive job candidates are identified, the enterprise can target specific materials to them that speak to programs or benefits candidates would find attractive. Market those DE&I initiatives or hybrid work models as a reason to consider working for the enterprise.

Employee Referral Programs

Employees can serve as a critical extension of an organization’s recruitment strategy. With an employee referral program, outreach can occur via social media channels or through personal communication. Often, there are perks, such as a bonus for referrals that result in a hire. More importantly, an employee referral program promotes employee engagement and can lead to recruitment cost and time savings.

Seek What You Need

Passive does not mean uninterested. It is the responsibility of HR and business leaders to seek out recruitment opportunities and cultivate relationships with job candidates who possess skills and capabilities that could be a competitive differentiator for the organization. In my own professional life, I was a passive job candidate who received a LinkedIn invitation from Ardent Partners’ founder and chief research officer Andrew Bartolini to explore a potential job opportunity with his firm. I was not actively applying or networking for new employment opportunities. However, after two months of casual conversations with Andrew and his team, the position we discussed was an ideal fit with my background and professional passions. And here we are. Passive candidates need a reason to walk through the door. Show them the reasons why.

Diversity’s Measurable Impacts on the Contingent Workforce

Business Leadership Contingent Workforce Direct Sourcing Diversity and Inclusion General Insights Talent by John Yuva on 03/27/2023

Diversity programs continue to evolve, and enterprises must ensure their efforts span the total talent spectrum. Often, diversity initiatives are primarily focused on full-time, permanent employees. However, with contingent talent now comprising more than half of organizations’ entire workforce, diversity should permeate contingent workforce management (CWM) strategies.

In fact, recent Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research indicates 62% of enterprises plan to infuse diversity initiatives into their CWM efforts as part of their workplace goals.

Diversity Is Critical to CWM Results

CWM and the Future of Work movement are aligned in their workforce direction. Extended workers represent a global talent pool where flexibility and a skills-based portfolio are at their core. Equally important, however, are the unique perspectives and outside viewpoints of contingent workers that cater to diverse thinking and enterprise representation.

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Unconscious Bias Restrains DE&I Efforts

Business Leadership Diversity and Inclusion General Insights HR by John Yuva on 03/23/2023

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is widely regarded as a critical component of a Future of Work vision. It is an important initiative for enterprise and employee unification, engagement, and inclusion for workers of all backgrounds and demographics. Despite those positive intents, DE&I is under greater scrutiny from local and state governments that view such programs as part of a “woke” agenda. However, understanding its value and reward, enterprises across the U.S. continue to foster DE&I principles and integrate them into their recruitment and workforce engagement strategies.

With the current political and social polarization that exists, HR and managers must maintain the momentum of DE&I and further drive its criticality within the organization. Two areas that are extremely relevant today are unconscious bias and employee resource groups. The intent of addressing these two areas is to bring greater awareness to our own biases while recognizing the needs underserved employees in the enterprise who may be impacted by unconscious bias themselves.

Address Unconscious Bias

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) defines this concept as “Unconscious biases are social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from one’s tendency to organize social worlds by categorizing.”

One interesting aspect of unconscious bias that UCSF points out is that it’s “…far more prevalent than conscious prejudice and often incompatible with one’s conscious values.” This is an important statement for HR and managers because it means with engagement, employees can better recognize and quell unconscious bias in their own interactions.

Examples of different types of unconscious bias include affinity bias, confirmation bias, conformity bias, and gender bias. Lattice, a people management platform, says a few key approaches can help reduce the effects of unconscious bias.

First and foremost is self-recognition. Knowing that we all have biases is a necessary step in recognizing our own and preventing them from impacting our decision-making.
Assess various employee and team touchpoints across the enterprise to determine where potential biases may exist and who may be most vulnerable to them.
Conduct annual unconscious bias training to promote inclusiveness and empowerment and reduce unconscious bias in day-to-day interactions.

Establish Employee Resource Groups

The first employee resource group (ESG) was established by black employees at Xerox in the 1960s in response to high racial tensions in the workplace. An ESG is a voluntary, employee-led group with members who share similar interests or demographic characteristics.

According to an article from Great Place to Work, ESGs “… exist to provide support and help in personal or career development and to create a safe space where employees can bring their whole selves to the table. Allies may also be invited to join the ERG to support their colleagues.”

Great Place to Work says ESGs are effective in the workplace for several reasons.

Act as advocates for underserved employees, bringing greater awareness to specific individuals or issues.
Improve physical aspects of workplace facilities, whether it’s gender-neutral bathrooms or designating safe places for employees to converse.
Create a sense of belonging and purpose with like-minded employees. Not only does this elevate trust but also inspires conversations that would otherwise not occur.
Identify potential organizational talent through ESG leadership that may not have those opportunities due to unconscious bias.
Pursue solutions for specific enterprise challenges, maintaining open lines of communication with leadership and keeping leadership aware of the interests and issues of the group.

A key factor in the success of an ESG is having an executive sponsor. Ceridian, a human capital management software company, says, “An executive and/or leadership sponsor can not only help to increase visibility, innovation, and awareness, but can also help align ERG activities with business goals. Additionally, commitments from senior leaders signal a wider, organizational commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.”

Prioritize DEI in the Enterprise

We live in a polarized world that has led to significant divides. The workplace is a melting pot of employees with many outside societal and political viewpoints that share a common goal: the success of the enterprise. DEI must remain a strategic priority for organizations to ensure that despite the societal divide, its inner walls are a place of cohesiveness, diversity, inclusion, and equality.

Amish Mehta, managing director and CEO for CRISIL, a global analytical company, summed up the importance of DE&I in his firm, “As a people-first organization, we are committed to equal treatment of, and opportunity for, all employees, irrespective of their background, orientation, and preferences. Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion are at the core of CRISIL’s value system,” Mehta says.

“We welcome skills and perspectives that help us serve our clients and communities better and enable us to create a sustainable, and diverse culture where everyone can be their best.”

The Skills-Based Organization and the Staffing Outlook for 2023

Contingent Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Talent Acquisition by Christopher J. Dwyer on 01/23/2023

There’s no question that the world of staffing has entered yet another period of uncertainty. Besieged by the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic and then, thankfully, amped by a greater need for workforce flexibility and an increased utilization of contingent workers, the staffing arena faces a watershed year ahead.

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research has discovered that 82% of businesses leveraged more extended talent in 2022 than 2021, proving that:

The extended workforce’s great bump in utilization wasn’t just an anomaly due to the pandemic’s impact on fluctuating talent needs.
Non-employee talent remains a viable and strategic way to not just augment staff, but truly drive mission-critical endeavors with high-quality, top-tier skillsets and expertise, and;
With direct sourcing, AI-enabled hiring, and digital recruitment paving the way for the Future of Work movement, the realm of extended talent translates into an opportunity for businesses to thrive during even the most challenging of times.

Glider.ai is a Best-in-Class, next-generation artificial intelligence platform that has disrupted the staffing and recruitment technology markets. Glider AI’s unique talent intelligence platform provides its users with fully-automated tools to boost candidate assessment and allow hiring managers (and other talent management executives) to remotely execute deep, skill-based recruitment strategies with a robust layer of strength and rigor.

The solution recently polled over 130 staffing, recruiting, HR, and contingent workforce leaders on their intentions, challenges, and general perspectives on the talent arena.

Takeaway #1: Diversity Is, As It Should Be, A Critical Priority

Nearly 90% of executives in Glider’s research study state that initiatives related diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are a “medium-to-high” priority entering the new year. Of that figure, over 50% deemed it a high priority, proving an old mantra of the Future of the Work Exchange: a diverse talent community is the deepest talent community, especially as it pertains to the extended workforce.

While established diversity programs previously existed in many enterprises, the events and civil unrest of the past three years have driven many businesses to develop and communicate more purpose-driven goals which are linked to societal, economic, technological, and sustainable shifts. To achieve these goals, a large number of businesses are trying to harness the power of a diverse workforce. Glider’s new research study is a pure reflection of the modern enterprise’s 2023 commitment to DE&I in its hiring efforts for both full-time and temporary staff.

Takeaway #2: High-Tech or Low-Tech, It Doesn’t Matter: The Skills-Based Organization is King

Nearly 70% of businesses in the Glider study stated that high-tech and technical skills are currently a high priority for hiring and recruitment. Even though some of the world’s most massive tech brands, such as Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Meta (Facebook), Amazon, and Salesforce have executed mass layoffs in recent months (and in the case of Alphabet and Microsoft, literally just over the past two weeks), there is still a incredible need for professionals with high-tech skills.

Why? The answer is simple: we are living in a globalized and digitized world of work, in which digital transformation is an ongoing endeavor in nearly every enterprise, not to mention the overarching digital requirements in operating in a networked economy. Some of the highest-level talent in digital fields can only be found in the ranks of the extended workforce, which translates into the need for the average organization to devote more resources to enhancing contingent workforce management.

Too, the flip side of this equation isn’t even a counterbalance, as nearly 80% of organizations state that non-technical roles are a “medium-to-high” priority for businesses. Combined with the aforementioned high-tech stat and we can come to a direct conclusion: the skills-based organization is king.

In 2023, there will be many discussions around the concept of the skills-based organization. And this doesn’t just mean that businesses prioritize the skillsets they have within their ranks or within their talent pools or talent communities, but rather center the way they work around enterprises skillsets, expertise, and experience. By fractionalizing jobs/projects and segmenting the work from the workers, enterprises can more effectively align what needs to be done with the know-how required to address it.

Takeaway #3: Upskilling Remains a Key Focus for Businesses

The new Glider study found that 83% of enterprises placed a “medium-to-high” priority on upskilling as a means to engage top-tier candidates and retain top talent. This just reinforces the idea of the skills-based organization, as expertise has become the de-facto weapon in a skills-driven, digitized business arena. As enterprises to balance an ongoing pandemic, a looming recession, and an increasingly-globalized (and, of course, more competitive) market, skills become ever-so-critical.

Upcoming Future of Work Exchange research finds that nearly 70% of businesses are actively focused on engaging new and advanced skillsets in anticipation of digital transformation, further reinforcing the need to 1) upskill current workers (both FTEs and contingent) and 2) engage talented professionals that can make an immediate impact. The greater focus on upskilling (which is an entirely different entity than reskilling) is crucial for a variety of reasons, including:

The digital enterprise now requires progressive skillsets that are needed to thrive in an evolving world of work.
Upskilling is a ideal way for business leaders to combat extreme talent shortages by developing highly-skilled workers from within the organization, and;
It prepares enterprises to weather workforce disruptions (due to challenging economic conditions or other market events) and can serve as beneficial attribute of the company brand when developing new talent acquisition strategies.

Download Glider’s new research study and learn more about skills-based organizations and the state of staffing in 2023.