With the transformation in the workplace due to the pandemic, a lot of factors have changed over two years. Among these changes, diversity, equity and inclusion have played a keyrole. Therefore, Intel commissioned a global survey of 3,000+ business leaders across 17 countries to hear the first-person point of view on the state of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) today and in the future. In India, they commissioned a study that interviewed over 200 business leaders about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. And how they have been able to achieve their goals and plan to build an inclusive and diverse company.
Interestingly, the survey revealed that 81% of Indian business leaders said that workplace disruptions due to the pandemic have had a positive impact on their DE&I. Of those, 66% mentioned that remote working made it easier to recruit people from the underrepresented groups irrespective of their gender, race and social background. 57% business leaders encouraged the adoption of new inclusion tools and 55 % noted that hybrid mode of working helps companies to include a wide variety of DE&I initiatives.
But how do these statistics matter to the workforce during these tough times? These statistics on the impact of pandemic helps business leaders to reimagine the workplace model and adapt to new ways of working, which were historically unimaginable. At least 71% of them said their organisation has significantly adapted DE&I initiatives for a hybrid workforce. That compares to 60% of leaders globally, suggesting Indian businesses are at the forefront of anticipating inclusion challenges in an evolving workplace. On the other hand, 16% of Indian business leaders have indicated a negative impact on DE&I progress due to the pandemic, with the top reason being that remote work has made inclusivity challenging.
Furthermore, 48% said their organisation has introduced new DE&I training for senior leadership over the past year and have made significant changes to them since remote work began in 2020 in order to adapt to changing work environments. Further, 46% of leaders surveyed said they’d welcome global benchmarks and industry standards for DE&I and 47% want more collaboration across the industry as it relates to inclusion.
