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Diversity and inclusivity trends to look out for in 2022

Diversity and inclusivity in the workplace is not just the socially responsible goal (you know, as it gives minority groups opportunities to shine and brings us a step closer to a fair world) to strive towards, but did you know that there can also be tangible benefits to your organization? 

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It’s no surprise that more and more companies are critically examining and fine-tuning their diversity and inclusivity policies, so this Pacific Prime article will bring you up to speed with the top trends to look out for in 2022. 

What is diversity and inclusivity?

As two buzzwords that are almost always used together, ‘diversity’ and ‘inclusivity’ are often misunderstood and/or used interchangeably. While they are related terms and work in tandem, they are actually two distinct concepts, as you can see in the slides below. Diversity is about embracing and valuing people of diverse backgrounds, while inclusivity is about creating a welcoming environment and making each person feel like they belong. 

Note: The aforementioned slides also go on to provide 6 tips on how to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.

What are the challenges when it comes to diversity and inclusivity?

Some challenges related to diversity and inclusivity include:

  • Stereotyping and cultural misunderstandings.
  • Inappropriate jokes and banter that offends certain groups.
  • Discrimination – whether deliberately or not.
  • Lack of complaints reporting system and follow-up procedure.
  • And more. 

Are our workplaces diverse? 

In the age of “me too” and “black lives matter,” you might not be surprised that we still have a long way to go to truly achieve diversity and inclusivity in our workplaces. To begin with, men still dominate certain fields and/or executive positions in those fields in many countries. Images showing boardrooms made up of white men are all too common, and the COVID-19 pandemic has also negatively impacted gender equality. What’s more, the barriers for entry and progression are even higher for women of color when you consider intersectionality.

Further reading: Discover how to retain your female workforce during the pandemic.

Why does diversity and inclusivity in the workplace matter?

We could endlessly list the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace, but here are some of our key points:

    • Widen your candidate pool: There might be untapped potential in groups that normally wouldn’t consider applying to your company or that you wouldn’t consider hiring. By embracing diversity and inclusivity, you’re increasing your chances of hiring truly stellar employees.
    • Earn a name for yourself as a ‘forward-thinking employer’: You’ll also attract candidates (and possibly even customers) who share your values and goals of supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace, which will put you ahead of your competitors.
    • Increase productivity and retain employees: As your employees feel more comfortable in a diverse and inclusive workplace, they’ll be happier and less likely to quit their jobs. This increases your bottom line through increased productivity and a lower turnover rate. 
    • Encourage innovation and avoid PR blunders: A diverse and inclusive workplace, with communication and collaboration, encourages the exchange of different ideas and can facilitate creativity and innovative thinking. Listening to minority voices also ensures that your company doesn’t make PR blunders that offend these groups in society. 
    • And more!

Further reading: Unlock more benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace in our Global Employee Benefits Trends 2021.

After exploring the meaning of diversity and inclusivity, the challenges related to them, and reasons for implementing these goals, it’s time to get into the meat of this article. From AI in recruitment to the expansion of job requirements and more, here are some of the top diversity and inclusivity trends we expect to become a bigger part of the agenda in 2022 and how they’re likely to impact corporate diversity initiatives.

1. Being mindful of biases when using AI and technology in recruitment 

AI and technology are extremely powerful tools that can help HR teams automate the hiring process. That being said, it’s important to recognize that if they’re not free from bias. In fact, they can have biases embedded into them. Therefore, companies should understand how their technology might be biased and then finetune it to weed out their biases.

Case study: Amazon’s recruitment tool 

Amazon realized that their AI tool was not rating candidates in a general neural way. This is because the model was trained to vet applicants by observing patterns in resumes submitted to the company over a 10-year period and most came from men, a reflection of male dominance across the tech industry. 

2. Working with diverse and inclusive partners 

A company’s success when it comes to diversity and inclusivity practices also includes those of their external partners and suppliers. As such, companies should conduct an internal audit to ensure diversity is a consideration among all current partners and suppliers, and only work with like-minded partners and suppliers going forward. 

3. Understanding the COVID-19’s impact on certain groups of employees

As alluded to previously, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a number of challenges for certain groups of employees, such as those who are unable to get vaccinated (either for medical or personal reasons), those with caring duties (especially female employees), and those who suffered greatly from the pandemic. 

Solutions to mitigate COVID-19’s impact

Understanding the pandemic’s impact is the first step to coming up with solutions, which may involve allowing flexible working arrangements and/or adjusting employment practices. It’s also vital to note that cutting pay for employees who get to work flexibly will only create divisions and show that you value some employees less due to their personal circumstances. 

4. Ensure that diversity and inclusivity permeates the entire organization, including leadership

Opportunities for leadership also need to be given to minority groups so that diversity and inclusivity is present across the entire organization – from entry-level through to the executive levels. The effort needs to start with how employee performance is reviewed and how decisions for promotions are made.

Factors that shouldn’t be a barrier to promotions

Managers should not penalize employees who work remotely, opt for flexible schedules, require sick time or any other adjustments due to their personal circumstances. What’s more, managers should also be proactive in helping employees thrive – for instance, assisting with employees coming back to work after maternity leave or a sabbatical, amongst others. 

5. Tweaking job requirements to open doors for more candidates  

While job requirements are important to vet candidates based on their skills and knowledge, requirements that are too rigid (i.e. type of degree and years of experience required) can also be limiting and cause companies to miss out on candidates who don’t fit the typical profile. In contrast, emphasizing that those from non-traditional backgrounds will be considered opens up the door to talented, hard-working candidates with the potential to learn and thrive. 

For all things employee benefits, get in touch with Pacific Prime today!

Companies who want to embrace diversity (and inclusivity!) in 2022 will also want to ensure that their employee benefits are tailored to a diverse workforce. One easy way to do so is to offer flexible or flex benefits, which allow you to offer a variety of benefit options for employees to create a customized benefits plan. 

As a global health insurance brokerage and employee benefits specialist, Pacific Prime can help you design, implement, and manage flex benefits or any other employee benefits solutions that meet your organizational needs. Rest assured, we’re equally committed to diversity and inclusivity. 

To learn more about what we can do for you, please arrange a FREE consultation with a member of our corporate team today!

 

Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime
Suphanida is a Senior Content Creator at Pacific Prime, an award-winning global health insurance and employee benefits specialist.

With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.

Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.

Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.

Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
Suphanida Thakral