Social distancing, Zoom, flexible working, homeworking, homeschooling, pingdemic...
Claire Farrow, Outsource UK's Consultancy Services Business Partner, has spent time reflecting on a year in Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity like no other.
It’s fair to say that the events of the past 12 months have affected every one of us and it is equally as fair to say that every one of us has lived a different experience, whether it be professionally or personally.
As I sit here, with the sun beaming through the windows, following the latest business updates, I am buoyed to see Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) in its rightful position, firmly at the table as a primary objective for businesses. There is no doubt that the events of the past year have impacted the world of work but have they altered the path of our future inclusion strategies?
The aim of this paper is to revisit some of the recent life-changing global and national events and, with the help of our contributors, understand how they have influenced inclusion in business.
With so many lessons learned, 2020 gave us time to reflect on our own privileges, understand the challenges of others, and start thinking about how we can offer more support. The fundamental message coming out of many conversations that I have had is one of ‘less talk, more action’, which leads me to wonder whether 2021 will be the year that Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion are redefined.
The New York Times listed ‘Systemic Racism’, ‘Essential Workers’ and ‘Zoom’ in their top 20 phrases that defined 2020. American Data Research Company, Global Language Monitor, picked up ‘Truth’, ‘Progress’, ‘Sustainability’, ‘Black Lives Matter’, and ‘White Privilege’ in their 50 most used words and phrases of 2020. Based on this data, and the powerful language widely adopted by many, my question is, are the conversations becoming easier? And if not, what can we do to make them easier?
Get in touch with Claire to discuss how to kickstart your Inclusion strategy by emailing diversity@outsource-uk.co.uk or calling 01793 430 021.
