The pandemic had unfortunate and jarring consequences for young people, BIPOC and female-identifying talent. Human resources leaders are re-committing to creating meaningful measurement frameworks with embedded accountability.
Increasingly, investors and stakeholders are taking a closer look at DEI metrics as well as human capital practices. Employees and candidates are, too. More than ever, organizations need to show how they address culture gaps, inequalities and belonging.
71% of Black & Hispanic employees feel their employer should be doing more to cultivate a diverse workforce. (Glassdoor, 2021)
People Strategy functions will be called upon to do a deep dive into existing DE&I analytics to understand and strategize against major gaps in the pipeline.
Box-ticking is not an option.
Most organizations struggle understand what a diverse workforce looks like. The pandemic had an inflammatory effect on structural and social inequalities that existed prior to 2020. While many corporate entities strove for transparency in reporting on the diversity of their workforce prior to the pandemic, now is time to lift the veil and take an unvarnished look at representation numbers. These statistics must be prioritized at leadership tables at the highest levels.
In 2022, gather these insights
Collect and analyze both qualitative and quantitative data on representation in your workforce. The metrics should speak the diversity of your teams. The anecdotes should paint a picture of belonging.
Employer brand strategists will be charged with the difficult task of creating inclusive programs designed to extend their company narrative to marginalized communities.
There is no silver bullet when it comes to inclusion.
It can be tempting for companies to look for the 'low hanging fruit' - aggressively reactive recruitment to span obvious pipeline gaps. This will not work when it comes to creating a diverse talent channel into your business. Employer brand strategy in this space needs to play the long game and focus on your employees' and their stories. Companies need to show, not tell, what real inclusion looks like.
In 2022, assemble this team
Lean on your inclusion champions and internal representatives from diverse communities within your business to become collaborators in your talent strategy. Seek to understand what they need and build from there.
Acts of allyship will become a critical lever in DEI and belonging indexing. What it means to be an ally will become an intrinsic part of EVP (or DVP*) development and deployment.
"Performative Allyship" must go.
We are learning that it must mean more than simply declaring "I am an ally." True allyship means being an active advocate for new opportunities for members of underrepresented communities, speaking up even when it's scary and stepping up as mentors and sponsors. Most White employees agree speaking out against discrimination is important, but they do not recognize how critical these more proactive, sustained steps.
In 2022, launch this initiative
Calibrate your EVP against the allyship experience at your company. Look to active allies within your business to surface gaps and define it, creating a stronger approach. Embed your stance on allyship in your EVP and bring it to life.
It takes courage to take ownership of an employer brand strategy in this new world. Aligning these strategies to global economic and workforce trends is the best way to connect with talent and employees. Now is the time for vocal advocacy, sponsorship and investment at leadership tables. It is time for profoundly transparent and authentic recruitment marketing. It is time for the New World Employer Brand to find it's place in the human capital blueprint.
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