The Evolving Workplace: Gen Z and Diversity + Inclusion
We’ve seen it time and time again. Businesses claim to be diverse and inclusive through their social channels and websites. In some cases, they are true to their word, offering remote working, adopting proactive D+I councils and creating a safe space where their teams feel valued and belong.
However, when it comes to recruitment, some of these businesses don’t practise what they preach. Often, we see law firms and big corporations advertising roles with an unspecified ‘competitive salary’. In addition, they require applicants to live in or commute to London, Birmingham or Leeds.
New expectations
If we want to adopt a more diverse workforce and ensure that our entire team feels like they belong, surely we should be offering remote working. Especially when you consider how quickly we have adapted to working from home over the last twelve months.
If we want to continue to adopt a more inclusive workplace, we need to continue to think outside of the box when it comes to our place of work. Offering remote working would not only make your team feel trusted and valued. It will also open up opportunities for more people. For example, those with caring responsibilities, those who have started a family and those with disabilities to name but a few.
You just have to look at companies like Twitter and Spotify, who have now offered their workforce the opportunity to work from home post-pandemic. Some of the biggest companies in the world are able to do it, so surely we can too.
Generation Z
We also need to think about Gen Z when we talk about Diversity + Inclusion. Deloitte have found that two thirds of Gen Z would like to continue working from home. This new generation wants the flexibility from their employer to work from home or the office. They want to work for the B Corps of this world. Companies that are moving with the times, are big on sustainability and practise what they preach. They want to work for companies who are proactive in their approach to Diversity + Inclusion.
Gone are the days where we feel candidates should want to work for us. It’s now becoming more and more of a candidate’s market in which they will pick and choose where they want to work based on a company’s CSR and commitment to Diversity + Inclusion. The world is changing, and we need to be ready to change with it.
