The pandemic has pushed firms and leaders into deliberate how diversity and inclusion (D&I) evolve within their systems, culture, and strategy, according to the global Future of Inclusion survey conducted by Intel.
Among 3,000 executives or managers of companies with more than 100 employees in 17 countries and several industries, 63% believe that the crisis had a positive impact on the advancement of the D&I strategy. New ways of working, enabled by technology, are contributing to a more inclusive experience for employees globally.
However, 67% percent of leaders assume there is room for their companies to invest more in systems and initiatives that promote diversity, while 20% said they need to ensure that remote and internal employees equitably benefit from business practices that support D&I in the next 12 months.
The data collected shows that many companies across industries and regions were already capturing metrics on underrepresented groups in their organizations: nearly half (47%) of global business leaders cited gender equality as the top area of inclusion investment, with race and ethnicity (at 39%) and disability and accessibility (at 37%) also receiving notable focus.
In addition, while 64% of respondents with established D&I targets say they want to meet them in the next two years, a third of them are unsure if their companies are ready for that, suggesting the need for more investment. Organizational leaders agree that D&I remains an important business priority and that different thinking and resources are required to make impactful progress.
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