Given that most of us have been working remotely for the past couple of weeks, I decided to share my experience of my first virtual event on the topic of future of work, diversity, and belonging.
Last month, I had the honor of speaking in a diversity & inclusion webinar sponsored by McDermott + Bull Executive Search. I am very grateful for Linda Sierra, Managing Director at McDermott + Bull, a retained Executive Search firm based in Southern California with offices all around the US and internationally.
McDermott + Bull, is committed to providing the most qualified and inclusive candidate slates available. In fact, in 2018 and 2019, they placed 56% diverse candidates into executive level roles.
It was very exciting to share the stage with 2 Diversity +Inclusion (D+I) experts and authors and an HR executive to help us lead our conversation. Leslie Mesones, HR Business Partner and Head of Talent Development at Global Blood Therapeutics. This was our third time sharing the stage – a fun experience thanks to Patti’s expertise, Jorge’s sense of humor, and Leslie’s leadership.
My favorite question during the entire session was: we are hearing that many companies have put their D+I efforts on the back-burner to deal with more pressing issues. While that might have been necessary in the first few weeks of the pandemic, when companies were scrambling to keep business open, what are the consequences of completely stopping your D+I efforts?
Part of our answer was that focusing on D+I during this time is actually more important than ever since it exactly times like these that require diverse voices and diverse solutions for a company to not just survive, but adapt and thrive.
In reflection, the experience of working from home has accelerated the transition to the future of work. Especially for my generation, where we desire flexibility and autonomy at work. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe — looking forward to what the future brings in terms of virtual collaboration, teamwork, and partnership.