Aside from a massive influx of cash, implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives is the fastest way to craft an innovative and resilient working environment. Diverse talent works better together, produces higher-quality goods and services, has better mental health, and resonates better with diverse customer bases.
However, DEI isn’t the same beast it was in past years, and changes happen rapidly. Businesses operate on increasingly global scales, managers constantly look for ways to stay competitive, and employees seek more work-life balance from employers, making DEI more critical than ever.
That’s why staying updated with the latest trends is so important. Management consulting teams, human resource professionals, and social workers must update themselves with these trends to maintain constant improvement in workplace culture and support the equity of employees from all backgrounds.
Trend 1: Hyper-Personalized DEI Initiatives
Our first DEI trend to watch in 2024 is the evolution of hyper-personalized DEI initiatives. Change in our modern business landscape requires a genuine commitment extending beyond demographic token gestures (tokenism) that everyone’s become so familiar with.
Instead, businesses must look at the individual employees and create an inclusive environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. An excellent strategy is to utilize specialized employee resource groups (ERGs) that cater to each underrepresented group, such as LGBTQ or disabled veterans.
Taking a hyper-personalized approach means recognizing each individual’s unique challenges and making accommodations to ease those struggles. These accommodations include remote or hybrid work options, flexible schedules, or recognizing alternative holidays.
A hyper-personalized approach sees leaders tailoring diversity and sensitivity training and investing in executive diversity coaching. Businesses are also using AI to mitigate unconscious biases during the hiring process, turning to applicant tracking systems (ATS) that prioritize equity and personalized messages that make candidates feel welcome.
Trend 2: Intersectionality Takes Center Stage
Intersectionality is the cross-section or multi-layered diversity that puts someone at a more significant disadvantage because of multiple disadvantaged characteristics. The easiest way to understand this concept is by considering the biases or discrimination a Black woman may face over a Black male or a white woman.
Even though Black males and white women face their own share of potential disparities, a Hispanic woman experiences a greater level than either counterpart. Intersectionality seeks to understand those specific nuances that contribute to someone’s overall identity.
A focus on intersectionality is observing that people experience a complex amalgamation of diversity based on multiple factors, including ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, culture, and religious beliefs.
As an inclusive leader, you can improve work culture by exposing your teams to intersectionality. Coach Diversity Institute offers educational programs centered on unconscious bias, cultural competency, and microaggressions designed to raise awareness, provide tools, and encourage action.
Inclusive leadership also improves employee well-being by practicing active listening and creating systemic change based on the issues presented by underrepresented individuals. These leaders also champion intersectionality and invest heavily in researching the best practices for their teams.
Trend 3: Virtual Reality DEI Training
New technology is opening the door to unique training methods. One in particular is taking the world by storm—virtual reality (VR). In an unexpected turn, VR is becoming the ideal tool for exposing employees to real-world DEI scenarios.
With VR’s holistic approach, you can experience first-hand what it’s like to walk a mile in another’s shoes. You can feel what it’s like to be on the receiving end of bias, discrimination, and microaggressions, providing a glimpse of what a marginalized employee experiences daily.
VR’s immersive environments provide a fail-safe way to practice scenarios to hone skills like bystander awareness, using inclusive language, real-time decision-making, or leading tough conversations. The immersion makes recognition and retention easier, encouraging more action.
VR is drawing legitimate attention. Professor Andri Georgiadou argues that VR is a more effective method for DEI training delivery. He dedicates an entire chapter of his 2021 book to the idea that traditional training pales in comparison to VR’s immersive mentorship potential.
The custom virtual environments made possible in VR also take remote activities to a whole new level. Using VR technology, organizations can invite remote employees to attend activities that make every team member feel included and connected.
Trend 4: Global DEI Standards
Since the pandemic, companies have operated on global scales at higher rates than ever in history. That globalization means more companies must adopt data-driven DEI programs to address the unique nuances of managing employees, suppliers, and partners across diverse regions.
Strengthening DEI efforts means encouraging improved communication and productivity between teams working worldwide. To do this, enroll teams in multicultural education programs to promote understanding and respect.
Many resources are available, such as courses from Coach Diversity Institute or international organizations. This international DEI body produces the Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB) report, with discussion, metrics, and actionable insights for operating an inclusive global organization.
This report leverages expertise from more than 100 panelists, providing a diverse array of voices leaders can lean on to produce lasting change in their workplace culture. These reports are an effort to standardize DEI strategies, ensuring consistency despite geographic location.
Trend 5: DEI as a Core Business Function
Businesses are realizing that shifting to more equitable and inclusive practices improves operations and produces tangible benefits. These benefits include:
- Higher performance vs. non-diverse/non-inclusive competitors.
- Improved innovation, problem-solving, and inter-departmental communication.
- Higher retention, employee engagement, and referral rates.
- Stronger bottom-line profit.
Companies are shifting policies to take advantage of the benefits DEI brings to their organizations. MassMutual is a perfect example of what can happen when a business prioritizes DEI.
MassMutual began its DEI commitment by searching for diverse customers and helping them secure a more stable financial future. This partnership evolved into extensive DEI involvement in virtually every business operation, earning MassMutual a reputation for being a leader in inclusive culture.
MassMutual doesn’t hide its results, either. The company openly discloses metrics and KPI reporting and practices shared accountability for results. It also develops inclusive leaders by providing robust training for managers and supervisors.
As more businesses integrate DEI into more facets of their operations, employees recognize the commitment to being diverse and inclusive. That commitment translates into those tangible benefits that business leaders and owners desire.
Leading with DEI for Future Success with Coach Diversity
Staying in the loop with the latest trends in DEI is essential for sustained success. It allows you to make adjustments or pivot to meet new challenges that diverse and inclusive workplace cultures face.
Globalization, remote work, and evolving employee demands mean changes happen quickly, and the best organizations adapt to these changes in stride. They have inclusive leaders, diverse workforces, and equitable policies that keep them competitive.
Along with reading the most recent diversity, equity, and inclusion trends, motivated leaders take proactive steps, such as enrolling teams in continuous DEI education. These programs ensure that employees have the awareness and skills needed to help remove bias and microaggressions from the workplace.
Partner with Coach Diversity Institute to help you deliver these training programs or certify diversity coaches responsible for building a lasting impact. Contact us today to get started making a difference in the lives of your team members!