I have exciting news to share! LinkedIn has selected yours truly to offer my predictions for their #BigIdeas2023 highlight.
Over on LinkedIn, I and my colleagues share how we predict the professional landscape will evolve within our industry next year. Curating these predictions will help leaders make strategic plans on what to focus on in the coming year.
It’s an honor to be selected to share my predictions on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace! Below are the Big Ideas I believe will shape 2023 in the DEI space. I encourage you to check out LinkedIn’s full list to learn from my colleagues too.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Predictions for 2023:
1. The rise of female entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs of color will continue as the Great Resignation/Reimagination continues. Corporations will struggle to retain employees from underestimated backgrounds as more leave to set up work norms outside of corporate structures. More women of color and other people who have felt left out or undervalued in the corporate workplace are leaving to become entrepreneurs, where they get to set their own culture and norms and find respite from microaggressions (or what I call, exclusionary behaviors.) These small enterprises will set the tone for new cultures of belonging and I can imagine that many larger companies will want to learn from them!
2. More investments in technology and especially the metaverse to create diversity and inclusion (like hiring inclusively in the metaverse) will be made. I'm hearing of companies investing in technology (like augmented and virtual reality) to drive greater DEI outcomes, particularly in the metaverse. We'll see "big problems" around DEI — such as inclusive hiring and empathy-building — attempt to be solved by using new technologies, including by experimenting with shifting into the metaverse. But we will need to be cautious: without intentionality, these technologies could replicate or even accelerate existing issues, making them more severe. We will need a diverse set of creators and leaders to ensure progress and success!
3. DEI will move out of the “DEI silo” and into core leadership skills for all (finally!). I continue to see innovative leaders shifting out of the "DEI is an HR issue" mindset to "it's a core leadership skill that I need to cultivate." I predict we'll see more leaders be held accountable to DEI outcomes, through bonuses and advancement opportunities. And new hires will continue to discern work opportunities based on whether a company culture is inclusive or not.
4. The will be a rise in mental health focus at work. I see more innovative organizations and leaders prioritizing mental health benefits, discussions around mental health *and* offering mental health days that are company-wide and taken by all. With the number of people experiencing burnout, we need to prioritize this without question.
