A resourcing gap was observed by a more than half (52%) of business decision-makers in an international study who believe that the need to adopt new technology would interfere with their D&I goals.
A survey commissioned for Intel found that 63% of decision makers are of the opinion that D&I has been positively affected by the pandemic.
However, almost a third (30%) of leaders felt negatively about diversity and inclusion because they had fewer employees from underrepresented groups.
This accounted for over fifty percent (54%)of these managers who said disabled workers were most affected.
According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics, employment of disabled people in the UK fell by 300,000 during the pandemic. However, it has since recovered and is back to pre-pandemic levels.
Also, during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic, black and ethnic minority communities in general experienced a fall in employment at 26 times that experienced among white counterparts.
D&I VP at Japan Tobacco International Christiane Bisanzio says investing technology is essential when it comes to D&I.
She explained: “Technological advancements in our society are necessary to keep up with rapidly changing demographics and create systems that better serve all people.”
Ms. Bisanzio pointed out how diversity data could be employed in reviewing such key talent processes as tracking balance between genders among candidates for leadership positions.
“Data collection and technology play an important part in implementing D&I efforts.”
The findings showed that 57% respondents agreed their business needed greater investment into its D&I systems and initiatives
Similarly, while 77% of UK respondents said their organisation has long-term goals to achieve a diverse and inclusive working environment, more than half (51%) said their company is ill-prepared to meet these goals.
Bisanzio also claimed that any D&I strategy can’t succeed irrespective of its budget unless it works within a company’s current culture – there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
“Finally, the D&I team must operate within the corporate culture at all times.” In order to be effective in its role, a company must fully understand its culture and values.
Only then can the D&I team design a strategy that fits within an organisation and be successful.”