The crisis of 2020 has exposed how some companies view diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) as a nice to have rather than a core value. The onset of the pandemic saw businesses shedding jobs across industries including jobs related to diversity roles. According to McKinsey, the pandemic has driven as many as two million women —particularly mothers, to consider leaving the workforce or stepping back from their careers. However, we have seen a lot of companies rethinking their approach to the public conversation around inclusion and diversity with several companies hiring their first diversity officers. So, the question is how do you leverage this moment to ensure your ‘diversity’ efforts pay off? How do you unleash talent, ensure that your organization has representation from multiple points of view, and can leverage DE&I practices as a sustainable competitive advantage for your company? Our cover story digs deep into this to find out the answers.
