The Future of Work: Why Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Are Crucial
As we begin to implement our plan of what the future of work will look like, I’m excited to reflect on what we’ve considered for our practices and how diversity, inclusion and belonging are fundamental.
The typical work week looks vastly different now, with many employees continuing to work remotely and others choosing to spend time in offices, sometimes part-time or in “soft openings.” In planning the future of work, companies such as LiveRamp have been at the forefront of planning and support, ensuring decisions were made to empower people and respect their time.
We understand that with the COVID-19 pandemic also came many life changes, whether where people lived or their working hours. Shelter-in-place, along with a number of world events, allowed people to discover (or rediscover) their hobbies and interests, shift their focus, and put life in perspective. The computer programmer by day may be a stand-up comedian at night—they have a passion for both and should be afforded the time to pursue both interests.
While at work, we believe individuals should be able to be their best selves. To do that, we need to respect their time.
How work styles can foster diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace
Asynchronous collaboration is key to ensuring effective communication and sharing across platforms, especially as team members may work across different working hours.
A best practice: Core collaboration hours amongst teams should be agreed upon, and team members should be encouraged to schedule regular blocks of uninterrupted time for deep work, backlog reduction and space for innovative ideas.
Some other things companies should do as workforces become increasingly global:
- Hold monthly virtual town hall meetings
- Have safe spaces for conversation led by employee resource groups
- Offer holistic wellness programs
- Consider providing a home office equipment stipend or reimbursement
- Adopt an ergonomics program
These improvements can be made to empower employees to be their best selves and ensure a workplace supports diversity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace.
This article was written by Kham Ward for Living Corporate and was lightly edited and published with permission.