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Promoting DEI strategies requires intent, not proximity
Promoting DEI strategies requires intent, not proximity

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The pandemic forced us to re-evaluate a great many things, especially how we run our businesses. Rapid digitalisation aside, our biggest challenge involved our employee welfare. Working from home became a necessity, that demanded not just a paradigm shift in how we work, but also in how we all connected with our colleagues.

With everything from regular interactions to onboarding and training happening remotely, it’s easy to see how the human element in such interactions can get neglected. Is it possible to inspire someone over Slack, instil culture over email, or develop a lasting friendship over a shared Word document? In other words, how do you help a colleague feel connected and valued? How do you help them feel like they belong in the organisation, that they’re part of a larger whole?

These are aspects of work we took for granted before, where a good manager was a guarantee of all the above. Today, however, this is something we need to prioritise. We need to focus on developing effective DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) strategies, and be prepared to invest in the technology, tools and training, required to support such a change.

A recent survey by Bain and Company highlights that employees who feel included are more likely to promote their workplaces.  Further, it states that employees in a more inclusive organisation are much more likely to feel free to innovate and feel comfortable challenging the status quo.

Implementing DEI in a post-pandemic world

The difference between pre-pandemic DEI strategies and post-pandemic ones is that a conscious effort needs to be made to promote inclusivity today. What could be accomplished with an in-person glance or nod is something that cannot happen over a group video call.

Today our focus is on developing a system that helps build relationships and a sense of value via digital means. Thanks to technology and powerful collaboration tools, connectivity has never been easier and our biggest focus today, is in using these tools to shape these myriad interactions.

The role of the leaders and managers today has become far more complex and they need to play a key role in shaping the team dynamics through digital media.  Today they need to learn to read and respond to what are, perhaps, unfamiliar cues, from human behaviour. More importantly, as leaders, we need to learn to be compassionate and understanding of the challenges our teams face, and we need to be able to respond quickly and appropriately as the need arises.

Practices to reinforce inclusion in remote workforces

In a 2021 report on diversity and inclusivity, Intel noted that 28% of leaders saw a “negative impact on their D&I progress during the pandemic”, an impact that was a result of a higher-than-normal attrition rate among disabled employees, women, and parents.

That the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on working women, and with schools, day care, and other such institutions shut, parents needed to spend more time with their children are common facts. Consequently, employers needed to be more mindful and understanding of their employee’s needs, especially in such scenarios.

To make DEI work for us, we need to be proactive in our approach. We need to make the effort to seek out employees and talk to them, to challenge personal assumptions and to learn to see things from someone else’s perspective. Build a space that encourages diverse perspectives and judgement-free participation from all. Ultimately, empathy and compassion will go a long way towards helping employees feel like they belong, that they’re cared for by their employers.

Sustaining and strengthening DEI

Again, when dealing with remote workers, being intentional and structured about our approach is key. Its important that we make a conscious effort to not leave anyone out, to ensure that everyone is heard. It takes a sustained effort to build a work environment that is supportive and inclusive, especially in a digital mode.

We need embark on this DEI journey together with our colleagues, learning with them and supporting them as best as we can. And that’s how we develop strong bonds and inculcate the feelings of belonging and value. When we help our colleagues feel included and useful, it not only makes for more effective leaders, but in the long run, also unlock the potential of teams and organizations. A motivated workforce is a priceless asset, after all.

Building an empathetic workforce   

You may have noticed that many of the techniques and solutions that I’m talking about here, apply to in-office workforce as well, and that’s exactly my point. We need a diverse and inclusive workforce, and effective and compassionate leaders, regardless of where and how we build our teams. What’s different today is simply the form that this effectiveness and compassion must take.

Digital communication tools have made basic communication faster and easier, but these are also impersonal tools that have stripped many of the traditional, unconscious social cues that help us respond better as empathetic human beings. To build an effective, motivated workforce, regardless of what the current and future of the workplace looks like, it’s essential that we make a conscious effort to learn to identify and respond to the more nuanced cues of that workplace.

Mohua Sengupta

About the Author:

Mohua Sengupta is the Managing Director of Mashreq Global Network India. She is a digital evangelist who has helped the organization through driving digital transformation agenda. A seasoned veteran with over 22 years of diverse experience in the IT, banking and financial services industry, Mohua collaborates with all group functions to enable and develop them into market leading talent and services platforms, to service the strategic, digital, and operational requirements of Mashreq globally.


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